The Book
by KricketWilliams
Summary: While out shopping, Garcia finds a book that sort of interests her, Morgan unexpectedly meets her and finds that it interests him, too...As usual, I don't own a thing
1. Chapter 1

_AN: I was out shopping awhile back...went to my favorite book store...strolled around...latte in hand...and a-ha!... story time struck!...It's a fun-albeit kinky-story that I hope you enjoy..._

_**Warning:** This story is highly sexual in nature. Reader discretion is advised. Please proceed with caution..._

**Chapter 1**

Penelope exited the bathroom of her favorite bookstore. She was looking in particular for a good book, preferably light and breezy, that she could read on the weekends and at night. She was feeling kind of lonely, and losing herself in a book sounded like a great idea.

Unfortunately, most of the books out there were two specific genres she didn't want to read: crime/suspense and romance. She had two reasons for her thinking, both on completely different spectrums in her life.

The reason she didn't want crime/suspense had to do with work. It reminded hertoomuch of work if the authors got it right, and it was too unrealistic and silly if they got it wrong. She honestly felt she had enough gore and violence she had to see at work; spending her leisure time with it wasn't exactly her bag. That would be overkill.

The other genre, romance, she wasn't getting enough of. Last thing she wanted to read about was someone else's happy ending. Her nearly three year long relationship with Kevin Lynch ended on a sour note last month. He'd asked her to move in with him, and she had turned him down flat.

"I don't want to move."

"Well then, I'll move in here," he'd said, all chipper.

She'd loved Kevin. He was a good man, but he was messy and unorganized. The idea of him living with her had repulsed her; she liked her place the way it was.

So as gently and as firmly as she could, she'd told him, "No, thank you."

He'd then proceeded to tell her she was too set in her ways. "Like someone's maiden aunt, Penelope."

That had hurt, but it led to a lot of thinking. That main thought being: if she couldn't stand the thought of living with Kevin, why was she still with him?

And now, after she'd left him rather amicably, the only thing she missed was the sex. Kevin was good in bed, very giving and thorough; she'd been satisfied with him. He wasn't the most skilled lover, but he was much better than her vibrator and her fingers.

Sighing, she looked up from the bathroom hallway and saw relationship help books ducked in the corner. She didn't want those right now, either. However, another book right next door to those books caught her eye.

_Ooh! Ahh! : The Art of Making Sexual Fireworks_

"Good grief," she mumbled, rather amused. Then curiosity killed the Penelope: she wandered over and picked up the book.

Inside, there were rather tastefully drawn pictures and step-by-step instructions on how to get into certain positions—the book claimed to have one hundred positions!—how to have a g-spot orgasm; how to basically get off in just about every way imaginable. Flipping to one page, she saw one rather unbelievable maneuver. She tilted the book left, then right, then back to the left...and then shook her head.

"That can't be done," she muttered.

"Yes, it can," a voice whispered from over her shoulder.

"Ah!" she screamed, dropping the book. She turned to see her best friend standing there. She slugged him quickly in the shoulder. "Do _not_ walk up on people and scare them!"

"Gee, sorry," he said, rubbing his arm with a mock wounded look, before bending over to pick up the book. He read the title and looked at her, not bothering to hide his snicker, "_Ooh! Ahh!_?"

Quickly pulling the book out of his hands, she colored just slightly. She hated that she blushed so noticeably. It was a curse of the fair skinned. She shouldn't worry: this was _Morgan_ for Pete's sake. Although... she'd had rather dirty dreams about him in the past, and seeing him so closely after scanning erotic pictures...

Trying to look urbane and not bothered by his presence, she flipped through it slowly again. "It was interesting... but I'm not going to get it."

"Why not?" he asked, frowning.

"Because I have no one to practice with right now," she said, as she put it back in line on the shelf. Then she turned back with a sultry grin, "Unless you are volunteering your services, oh stud muffin of mine?"

This time he blushed. "Umm-"

"What?" she asked with a snicker of her own. She'd made him speechless! This was too rich not to tease about. "Am I too much woman for you, Hot Stuff?"

"No." He narrowed his eyes just the slightest, and then shot her a wicked grin, like the villain in a Victorian drama. "I am definitely interested in road testing these with you, Baby Girl."

Her eyes widened. "Der-"

"In fact," he continued, stopping her from talking, "it's been a while since I've had regular nightly sex-"

"Nightly?" she croaked, interrupting him, her eyes still wide and panicked.

"There's a hundred sex acts... I'm thinking we need to practice nightly to get through the book in decent time."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're teasing, aren't you?"

"Not at all," he said nonchalantly, like they were discussing the weather. "I think this could be a lot of fun, and we could both get a lot of pleasure... and education from it."

"Mor-"

He arched a brow at her. "Unless you are chickening out?"

Ooh, he just _had_ to go and say that! She hated when he challenged her. She never backed down from a challenge, no matter what it was. She'd skydived with the man when he challenged her, she'd scuba dived with him. She could do something even more ridiculous, and probably more dangerous...like fuck him.

A little sliver of awareness bubbled inside her. They'd teased about having sex so many times, mentioning it, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like. A part of her really wanted to find out...even though she was scared. She was worried. What if...she shuddered...what if they ruined their friendship? Immediately after she gave that thought birth, she dismissed it. That would never happen.

Besides, the minute they had sex, it would be the most hilarious, least sexy thing on the planet. Like screwing her brothers or _Reid_ or something. Then they would laugh about it and never do it or bring it up again.

A twinge of something inside her warned her, _You have never had hot dreams about your brothers or Reid. You have about him. Be careful..._

Ignoring that voice, she yanked the book off the shelf, then pursed her lips and started walking to the counter. He followed behind her dutifully.

"Twenty dollars," the clerk said with a knowing smile.

Penelope pulled out a twenty dollar bill.

"Wait!"

Derek fished a ten dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to the clerk.

She gave him a questioning glance.

"This way, I'm just as invested in this as you are," he said with a smirk and a wink, before walking out of the store.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_AN:A special thanks to my hubby, for giving me the bald faced truth; my reaction was similar to P's...Best Friend's hubby? Baseball teams...Now I am wondering if my Canadian friend's hubby uses hockey teams...My friend-who is a farmer's wife-said her hubby probably counts parts to a combine! Now THAT is creative..._

Derek was sitting on Penelope's couch in her purple palace. As she watched him, she couldn't help but think he looked a little out of place there. If she were being honest, she had to admit Kevin never looked quite so odd; he blended into the surroundings. Then again, Kevin wasn't so blatantly male. Derek was the polar opposite of everything in the room. He was rock solid and buff; the room was cushy with lots of pillows. He was huge; the couch was a teeny loveseat. He was masculine; everything around him was cutesy and feminine with lace and faux fur. He was in all black; the room was colorful.

She sighed. This wasn't going to work. The fung shui was off. If he didn't look right in her living room, he certainly wasn't going to look okay in her bedroom, either! She swallowed hard...maybe it was an omen?

He looked up at her sigh and began to talk. "So... we're discussing preliminaries tonight?"

She nervously looked at him. God help her, but he looked rather_ eager_. Out of the two of them, she would've thought she'd be the one more ready to knock boots with him. The man was beautiful, every inch she'd ever seen of him, like a fantasy come to life. She, on the other hand, had lumps and bumps, hail damage on her thighs, like just about every other American woman. Instead, she was ready to bolt-and it was her house!

Handing him the glass of wine she'd retrieved, she placed hers on the coffee table with the dainty lacey doily on it and sat down. "Yes, I think it's good that we know what to expect."

"I'm clean," he said quickly. "I've only had sex without a condom when I was in a committed relationship in college. I was eighteen, and she and I were both virgins. Otherwise, I've always been protected." He reached for his wine and took a sip, then smiled crookedly at her. "Just to ease your mind; I've got quite a rep, you know."

Penelope was curious. Not about the condom, or his rep; she knew his reputation like the back of her hand. She'd seen it in action first hand, too. She was curious about his relationship he'd mentioned. Morgan never mentioned a serious relationship to her before. She kind of thought he'd always been a player. Oh, well. Now wasn't the time to ask him.

"Well, I've had four partners in my life. Three were not serious. Kevin was my first really serious relationship. I'm on the pill, but Kevin used condoms, too," she said.

"Why?" he asked.

"I don't know," she answered, shrugging. "Kevin liked to use them."

"Oh," Derek said, starting to smirk.

"What?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

Derek's smirk grew broader. "My guess is Kevin had a slight problem with his gun."

She looked at him in confusion. "What problem?"

"You know... he pulled the trigger too fast," he said, making a clicking noise with his tongue while using his hand to simulate firing a gun.

She blushed again, but he didn't seem to notice. He probably had a point; Kevin had never lasted very long. He tried, and he was good and thourough in bed, but he was so excited and so in love with her, he just blew. It wasn't his fault, and she tri-

"Anyway, it happens," he continued, interrupting her thought while he sat back and crossed his ankle on his knee.

"To you?" she asked.

He looked at her like she'd just insulted the hell out of him. "No!"

"Well... how do you stop that kind of thing?" she asked seriously. "I mean, Kevin said you get excited, you blow. I mean..." She felt her cheeks heating immeasurably. "When I come, I can't stop it."

He shook his head. "No, baby. It's different for women. With men, it's learning control, pleasing your partner. It took me a while to get it. Freshman and Sophomore year of college, I was a fifteen minute man."

"Huh?"

"In and out in fifteen minutes." He gave her a sardonic grin. "I was young, so I was able to do it ten times a night, so I made up for it that way."

This was interesting. "What did you learn?"

He laughed, and she saw his cheeks flush. "Damn. You really want to know it all, huh?"

She grinned back devilishly and nodded quickly. "Inquiring minds want to know."

"Okay," he said, shaking his head and chuckling. "When I get close, when I know I'm at the edge, just about ready to blow, I have to take my mind off of it, think of anything _but_ coming."

"Like what?" she asked, curious. "What do you think of?"

"I name the damn NFL teams, in alphabetical order, from the Arizona Cardinals to the Washington Redskins. I usually make it to Washington, and then go backwards to get back to the Bears." He paused for a second and grinned at her. "I sometimes make it, but not always."

She stared blankly at him, absolutely incredulous, and then burst out laughing. He started to laugh, too, and soon, they were laughing together so loudly, her neighbor pounded on the wall to get them to lower the noise.

"Oooh... haha... please," she said, wiping the tears from laughter away.

He was still grinning. "Whatever works, right?"

She started to laugh again. "Oh, God, Derek. Stop."

They sat back, smiling and laughing. It felt so good to just laugh and have fun with him. It had been a very long time since they'd laughed that hard together.

She smiled over at him. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Not as good as other stuff we'll be doing..."

Her smile faded. She was still a little too nervous to do this right now. She seriously didn't think this would work; their friendship was way too strong to ever be lovers. "D, I think maybe we're too close to have sex."

"Hey," he said quickly. "Not chickening out, are you?"

"No, but-"

"Listen," he said, holding her hands. "I've thought about it for years with you, and I know you've thought about it, too... haven't you?"

She turned scarlet and looked away, but nodded. "Once or twice."

He gave a stilted laugh. "Well, now we'll never have to wonder again."

"I don't know." She looked back at him. "The more I think about it, the worse this idea gets."

"Hmm," he said, cocking his head to the right. "The more _I_ think about it, the _better _it sounds to me."

She snickered. "At least I learned something today."

"See?" he said, tapping her temple with his long finger. "Valuable education. Now, grab the book and see where we start."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_AN:Thanks for the reviews, everyone...Dang, I am having fun with this! Hope you are, too!...I'm up late (Early, actually), so I thought I'd post ahead of schedule..._

"Okay..." she said, picking up the book and holding it close to her chest. "How should we divide this up?"

"Let's just start with position number one and knock them all out of the park."

She shook her head. "That's silly. We don't need to do some of them. I mean, I've probably done twenty or so of these..."

"I've probably done sixty," he said with an eyebrow wiggle. "Doesn't mean I don't want to do them again."

"Derek," she said, frowning a little. "If this isn't educational-"

"Pleasurable first; educational second," he interrupted quickly.

She frowned more, but this time in confusion.

"Baby," he said, reaching out, taking the book out of her hands. He proceeded to cup her hands in his, his thumbs lightly stroking the backs gently. "I don't want to do this like I am doing a practice run on you, perfecting it for some other woman. I am going to bring my A game and make love to you like you deserve to be made love to. I'm not going to be thinking about anyone but you. Pleasure first; yours and mine."

His hands felt warm and good, and his words were spicy yet soothing. For the first time since she'd foolishly mentioned this, she seriously thought this could work.

Judging by the tingles running up and down her arms...This would definitely work.

She nodded and tried to speak, but she had a catch in her throat. She cleared it, then smiled and said huskily, "How should we start?"

"Chapter one, momma." He stood and reached a hand down to her. "And let's read it in bed."

She blinked up at him. "D-Derek, I-"

"How else are we going to get comfortable with each other, and start seeing each other as lovers? What better way than to read this thing in bed?" He turned, and tugged his shirt over his head, revealing a gorgeous expanse of bronzed skin, before heading through her beaded curtains.

She watched him walk away, before disappearing through the doorway, his broad, strong shoulders, the muscles in his back tapering down to jeans that dipped low on his hips, and she felt a hot, overwhelming stirring of lust.

Then her eyes grew wider, and she started to panic. "_Naked_?" she croaked, quickly following him to the doorway. "You didn't say _naked_."

When she opened the curtain, he was dropping his jeans to the floor. "I'm usually naked when I am in bed. I thought I'd get comfortable."

She was beet red and blushing, and her heart was pounding hard. She was also wet; after all, six one of nearly naked Morgan was standing in her bedroom. Hadn't she dreamed of this?

To her relief, or maybe to her chagrin, he climbed in with his boxers still on, and then patted her pillow. "Come in."

She handed him the book. Good Lord, if he was in his underwear, then she needed to be in hers, too. She didn't look like Morgan, but he'd been looking so eager for her earlier-and he still looked that way, like the wolf waiting for Red Riding Hood. She needed to get over her fears and just go for it. At least she was grateful she was wearing a demi cup pure lace bra and nice panties today. It took that minute of true mental coaching, but she unbuttoned her shirt and slid it off.

Derek's eyes honed in immediately on her breasts, and she saw them heat up. He stared... and stared... then stared some more, before he looked up and met her eyes.

"Damn, woman," he murmured huskily, giving a low whistle. "I always knew those would be something else when you finally took off your shirt."

She smiled to herself thinking about what he just said. He'd _always_ been thinking about her breasts, huh? That was a nice thought! Empowered, she unzipped her skirt and slid it down, revealing her matching lacy boyshorts.

"Oh, hell, yes," he growled, his voice throaty. He patted the bed again, giving her a silky, very sultry look. "Come, sweetheart; cuddle next to your _Hot Stuff_..."

She smiled, the Mona Lisa smile of a woman who knew her appeal. "You letcher," she answered, crawling into the bed next to him.

"Can I touch?" he asked, sweeping his hot eyes over her like a Vegas wind: hot and potent, making it hard to breathe. "You have no idea how badly I want to touch right now..."

She giggled a little. "Jeez, D..."

"It's been a while," he murmured again, then his voice dropped to a whisper, "and I've been looking forward to this."

"Really?" she asked, her voice a low whisper, too.

He nodded. "Since you first popped the proposition.." There was something unsaid behind the rest of that, but she didn't quite know what it was.

Now watching his dark eyes heating even hotter, she felt the rapid beating of her heart. She no longer thought they'd do this and think it was ridiculous. There was no doubt to her now that they'd do this... and probably light the bed on fire.

With that came the thought that he'd light the bed on fire with any woman he went to bed with. He was just hot, just sexy, and just very horny. He'd always told her he had a high sex drive. She was ready to reap the benefits of that... but not this very minute.

"Not quite yet, cupcake, okay?"

The heat in his eyes tamped down just the slightest bit, but he smiled and said, "Okay. I'm patient, angel; I can wait."

She giggled. "It's only been two days since we bought the book."

He gave her the strangest look, one she didn't understand at all. Then he grinned and tapped the book. "Chapter one."

She began to read, but he stopped her.

"Wait a minute," he said. He laid down more comfortably, and then stretched his arm out. "Come closer...I promise, I'll behave."

She nodded, and then laid down in the familiar spot. As she started reading again, his hand caressed her arm and shoulder, slowly rubbing. Not in a sexual manner per se; rather just being close and gentle.

"This talks about how we are supposed to prepare for making love," she said, looking up at him.

He was attentive, his warm brown eyes looking down into hers. "Mmm hmm."

"You know...dressing the part, being well groomed-"

"You look fine to me," he replied, burying his face in her hair. "And you smell wonderful."

"Thank you; you do, too," she said. For a moment, she couldn't help but stare, lost in the dark, hypnotic warmth of his eyes, the clean, masculine scent of his body.

"What else does it say, sweetness?"

"Hmmm?" she was confused. What did what say?

He gave an amused half grin. "The book, honey."

"Oh," she said, still caught in the heat of the moment. Then she shook her head. "Oh, oh yes! Ahem...It says we need to talk, listen, look... and... and.."

"Kiss," he said, leaning a little closer.

With her heart beating quickly and her breath coming faster, she leaned towards him, too. Before she closed her eyes, she whispered, "Yes."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_AN: Thanks so much for the reviews...I was going to post this in the morning, but I thought, "This is a pleasant thing to sleep on.." Hee hee, thanks, Angie, for making me think that!... _

The kiss started soft, the barely perceptible movement of their mouths together. It was exploratory, testing, cautious yet curious. It was just a touch, the brushing of angel's wings, yet she tingled throughout her body and felt herself growing hotter and wetter.

He brought his rough fingertips up to touch the sides of her face, so gentle but capable of such strength. She'd closed her eyes; however, she opened them when he touched her, making her aware of exactly who was kissing her. As if she could mistake him for someone else; no one but him made her as erotically charged as this!

His eyes were partially open, as he continued to sweep delicious, teasing little kisses on her mouth. He was watching her mouth, her face, as if he were reading her expressions, her every move. He brushed her hair away from her cheeks, trailing his fingers down her neck with that hypnotic, dark look in his eyes.

"So sweet," he murmured, kissing the corner of her mouth, the tip of her nose, her soft eyelashes. "I always knew you'd taste so sweet."

"How?" she whispered, her voice sounding husky even to her own ears.

"Because it matches your disposition, angel," he answered, the corner of his lips coming up in just the slightest hint of a smile.

She smiled back, being held in the heat of his eyes. It felt so good, so warm, being the center of his world. That was how she felt at that moment; his attention was fully directed on her. She'd slid down in the bed during those light kisses, so that she was partially underneath him, the heavenly, solid feel of his body pressing against her. He kept touching her, like he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. He brushed his thumbs against her jaw so softly, his fingertips touching the nape of her neck, playing with the soft strands of hair there.

Then his eyes darkened immeasurably, he moved his hands to cup her skull, and he lowered his mouth to hers again. This time, fire shot throughout her body in a fast and furious rush of passion. She tingled from head to toe, so much so she shuddered and felt faint. She'd always thought they made that up in romance novels, but she'd been mistaken. She stretched underneath him, her silky thighs touching his hairy ones, her belly cushioning more of his weight, encouraging more contact.

She raised her hands to his shoulders, holding him against her as she opened her mouth to the insistent demands of his tongue. Again, electricity shot against her with each stroke of his tongue. Her nipples rose against the lace of her bra, the fabric rasping her now aching and erect nipples.

On and on, he kissed her, alternating licking deeply in her mouth to shallow thrusts, brushing his lips and melding them against hers, drawing deeply, demanding more, and backing off, making her clutch his head in her hands, dragging him down for more and more. He kissed with such skill and an obvious verve for the act, she felt it was almost an honor to be kissed by him.

There was no way this man needed a book for anything.

It was that thought that caused her to surface again from the spell he was weaving. It made her curious, uncertain of herself, and nervous. He sure as hell didn't need to practice, so why do this? It took everything in her power to break the hypnotic spell, to start pulling back.

"Ummm… D?" she croaked when she finally tore her mouth away from his, breaking the contact.

He looked at her, dazed, his eyes so black, she couldn't discern the pupils from their irises. For a moment, she wondered if he even knew where he was. It was obvious he was as lost in that kiss as she was.

That made her smile...and no longer care why he was doing this after all. He was doing this because he _wanted _to, wanted _her_, and that was all that mattered. Still, it was time to end this before they went too far too soon.

"Earth to Derek," she said softly, bringing a hand up to touch his cheek.

Fiercely, he turned his face into her palm, kissing it. "Baby Girl," he murmured. "That was incredible."

She nodded. "Yeah, it was."

He smirked at her then, leaning down a bit closer. "Let's do it again…"

For some reason, the smirk gracing his face bugged her. It showed that he was too cocky, too sure of himself. She placed both hands on hischest, thinking just for a moment how hard and hot that chest was, and then pressed against it to halt him.

He looked at her questioningly. "What?"

She gave him a sardonic look. "Don't you think we've had enough kissing for one day?"

"Hell, no," he scoffed. Then he asked incredulously, "Do you?"

She didn't answer him right away. She could feel the pounding of his heart beneath her palm, and the insistent heat of his erection against her hip.

His eyes darkened again as he pressed his lower body in contact with hers, his thigh coming between hers, against the telltale heat and moisture that built there.

He gave her a triumphant smile, so different from that earlier smirk. This smile was filled with rejuvenated pride… and unmistakable relief. So he wasn't as cocky as he appeared to be!

"I didn't think so," he said, then swept his mouth down on hers again.

They kissed for a long, long time, each movement getting wilder and hotter. There were slow kisses, hot kisses, gentle kisses, hard kisses. There was demand and there was surrender, their mouths doing battle, their tongues duelling, until they collapsed apart, laying flat and breathing hard.

"Damn, girl," he gasped, looking at her with such acute longing, it actually made her smile.

It felt so good to be wanted. She couldn't remember Kevin ever looking at her like that, not even close! She chuckled at that.

He began to scowl immediately, but the fire was still there in his eyes. He was rather defensive sounding when he snapped, "I'm glad you find my kisses amusing…"

"Oh, no, it's not that," she explained. "I..I'm just a touch surprised, that's all. It's nice to know you want me."

"Want you?" he said, growling, as he rose on his elbow to look at her. "Woman, I am on _fire_ for you."

For some reason, she thought that was really cute. She smiled and touched his nose. "Awwww, you're so sweet. Thank you."

She saw the heat tamp down in his eyes just slightly. Sighing, he laid back and tossed his arm over his eyes. "Shit. We're done tonight, aren't we?"

She nodded. "I think that's best. We've only gotten to the kissing in the book."

"Screw the book," he mused, not quite under his breath.

She gave him a silly grin.

"I know, I know," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'll behave."

"Sorry, angel fish," she said. She couldn't help but be somewhat amused.

He tossed the blanket back and stood up. It was then she looked down and saw what she was missing. It looked even bigger than it had felt against her hip. He tugged on his jeans, carefully adjusting, before pulling up his zipper.

"See you tomorrow, baby," he said, leaning over and kissing her, a sultry kiss that lit her on fire again and made her moan. He grabbed his shirt and tugged it on as he walked out the beaded curtain, shoving the strings aside in frustration as part of it got stuck in his shirt. A moment later, she heard the front door shut.

"Poor baby," she murmured… as her body continued to throb rhythmically from his hot parting kiss.

She didn't know who she felt more sorry for; him or herself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_AN: Okay, posting this a smidgen early, so that I can post a pre-Thanksgiving treat on Wednesday...Thanks for the reviews, everyone. You made me smile and laugh, and I treasure that. Love, Kricket_

The next day at work, Penelope caught a glimpse of Derek the moment she walked in the door. He was in the conference room with Hotch and Rossi, looking over some paperwork. He was dressed like he would be on any given day, wearing a tight fitting maroon t-shirt and his low slung black jeans. He was smiling over at Rossi, a genuine grin, before he laughed at whatever the other man said.

He was leaning, his palms flat on the table. He must've been bearing some of his weight, making the glorious muscles of his shoulders and upper arms more pronounced. It reminded her of how it felt to have him balanced above her on those arms, how the muscles felt when she ran her hands over them.

At that moment, he looked up with a slight frown, then saw her staring at him. Locking eyes with her, he shot her a slow, sexy smile. A rush of wetness occurred between her legs, her nipples tightened, and her breath sped up...just from a look! She had to turn away from him and get to her office quickly, before she embarrassed herself and drooled.

* * *

She turned away too quickly to notice Hotch looking to see who Derek was staring at. Morgan was still looking out the window, watching her walk away, his eyes completely glued on Garcia. This made Hotch somewhat curious, wondering when they'd finally take their six year flirtation up a notch, but he decided to wait until Derek or Penelope talked to him. He wasn't a meddler, he rarely pried into other people's business, but that didn't mean he didn't notice. He himself was intensely private; therefore, he was respectful of other's right to be private. So he kept quiet, even if he'd known for a long time something was bound to happen.

On the other hand, Rossi didn't even bother to look out the window. He just stood and smacked Derek on the head with his paperwork.

"Hey!" Derek said, rubbing his head, scowling. "What was that for?"

Rossi shook his head. "Get to work."

After Derek left the office in a rather disgruntled fashion, Hotch looked over at Rossi. "How long have you known?"

"I had my guesses a while back," he answered. "I wondered if they'd move on it, or if I'd have to give them a shove in the right direction."

Hotch gave a slow shake of his head, with a chuckle of his own. Rossi was the polar opposite of him when it came to meddling. He had his finger on the pulse of the news around the BAU and the FBI.

"Come on," Rossi said, standing and clapping his shoulder. "I'll buy you a coffee."

* * *

Quittin' time couldn't come quick enough for Penelope. She practically took off at a sprint for the elevator, and truly wasn't too surprised to see Derek hustling out of his office, too.

When he saw her, he shot her a grin. "Hey."

"Hey."

They both boarded the elevator and didn't say a word until the elevator started moving. Then she turned to look at him, and he turned to look at her.

She said, "Want to come over?"

At the exact same time he said, "Should I come over?"

This caused both of them to start laughing, until they were both laughing uproariously, even as someone else boarded the elevator with them. Pen tried to settle down, but found herself completely incapable. Derek was no better. He was attempting to hold it in and failing miserably. Soon, they were chuckling, then laughing as the other person shot them both a dirty look and exited out just before them, which caused new peals of laughter.

"Eager, much?" she teased.

"Guilty as charged," he answered, still chuckling.

"Me, too," she admitted with a grin, wiping tears from her eyes. "Follow me to my place, okay?"

He grinned back. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Once they reached her place, they were both still smiling warmly, the shared humor of what happened in the elevator still glowing inside them. She opened the door, and Derek followed. She beamed at him. "Well?"

"I think we should take up where we left off yesterday," he answered logically.

She nodded and headed towards her bedroom, with him in tow, and then they both stripped down. This time, he was wearing white boxer briefs and she had on hi-cut silk panties and a matching bra.

Suddenly, they weren't laughing so much anymore.

They turned down the heavy comforter and floral sheets on her bed and slid in, side by side. Penelope reached for the book and started opening it.

"Wait," he said quickly, before she started talking.

She looked at him in question.

"I think we need to practice that kiss again," he said, pulling the book out of her hands.

She smiled at him and looped her arms around his neck. "Practice makes perfect, after all."

Derek leaned down over her, pressing her into the bed, and kissed her. Immediately, she sent him into orbit. It was official, the woman could kiss like no other person on this earth. She tasted like candy and drove him positively insane. The way she kissed, with her giving, sweet sensuality, she certainly didn't need a fucking book.

God, it was good. He felt the shocks and tingles rushing over him, like a tidal wave, starting at his feet and centering in his groin. It positively knocked him stupid. It was so much better than he'd remembered, and the memory of last night was awesome. He set apart a whole period of time to create a new memory of the feel of her luscious pink lips, her high, round, perfect breasts pressed against his chest, the feel of her thigh pressed against his cock.

He had to fight the incredible desire to consume her. Just kissing her was not enough; he wanted to savor every inch of her. He wanted her in the hundred positions in the book, along with a few more he could dream up himself. He wanted her... damn, he wanted her every place, every where, every way, every _how_...

Knowing he needed to slow down, he pulled his mouth away, and was very happy to hear her moan her disapproval. She even whispered a feeble protest, "No."

He cupped her face in his hands, staring down into her gold flecked, sherry brown eyes. How had he never noticed how intensely perfect her eyes were? Thick lashed, startling color, noticeable even behind her colorful frames. He leaned down and gave her one more lingering kiss, before rolling to his side. Then, he handed her the book.

"Chapter two," he said, and if his voice was a touch thicker, she didn't say a word to him about it.

* * *

Penelope cleared her throat and began to read. "Chapter two, the basic positions." She paused and looked over at him. "Ummm... I think we can skip over these."

He grinned at her. "It'll be fun to see. Who knows? Maybe I'll find out I've been doing it wrong all these years..."

She snorted. _Yeah, right. _Judging by his kisses, he was the expert she'd always thought he was in this arena.

Still, she began to read. "There are four basic sexual positions that are the basis of all other positions: missionary, reverse missionary, rear entry, and a variant on rear entry, called spooning."

"Okay. What about standing sex, sitting sex, sixty-nine, all that good stuff?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Later. We can skip doing these, because you know the basics, and I do, too."

"All right."

He sounded disappointed. She wondered why; what was so thrilling about crap he'd done a thousand times before? She turned the page, and her brows shot up. Shortly after, she began to giggle. "They have pictures...wanna see?"

"Sure," he said, leaning a little closer.

The first picture, a missionary one, showed the average couple doing it the way that Penelope was most used to it. Contrary to her sexy goddess image, she wasn't the most comfortable with her body, and therefore, didn't feel completely comfortable just letting it all hang out.

"This position allows for kissing, face to face contact, and touching," he read.

"I bet you think that one is boring," she quipped.

"Oh, hell, no," he murmured. "I love to kiss, thrusting my tongue where it's hot and wet at the same time as I'm thrusting below...where it's hot and wet."

He looked at her, his eyes dark and sultry. While he spoke, her heartbeat began to accelerate. From the way he was watching her, she knew he was imagining the same thing she was; doing exactly what he'd just said.

She tore her eyes away from his and looked at the next picture. That was the reverse missionary, female dominant, cowgirl one. She did that one in the complete dark with Kevin, and he complained afterward of his hips being sore. They'd rarely done that one after that, although it had made Penelope come quickly; she liked being in control.

"Now _that_ is my favorite," Derek said, surprising her.

"Why?"

"Full lights on, watching you, bouncing, grinding, and moving on me like a dancer, giving myself up to you completely..." He stopped to moan and take a deep inhalation, then shuddered on the exhalation. "Oh, hell, yes. _Nothing_ better."

She swallowed hard when he stared at her again with those melted chocolate eyes. "We need to finish this chapter..."

He nodded with grim determination. "Yeah... I know."

They'd made it through the chapter, reading but not making any comments. By the time they were done, she was the one staring at him. She could tell he was so turned on, his body heat had turned positively febrile...but so was she. She was nearly roasting, she wanted him so badly.

This time, he swallowed hard, and said with an obviously forced smile, "Next chapter, huh?"

"Derek?" she whispered softly, moving up to a sitting position.

"What, angel?"

She reached between her breasts and unlatched the front closure of her bra. "Let's see how well you remember your basics."


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Thanks so much for the reviews! Here is a Thanksgiving treat for my American friends, and just a plain old treat for my other friends!...Not going to be posting again until Friday, so I hope this tides you over!...This is kind of spicy, so reader discretion advised!...By the way, this can, indeed, be done (Thank heavens for research! *wink*)..._

**Chapter 6**

Derek nearly gave a shout of triumph. He felt like he won the lottery. If he had a football, he would have spiked it! There was nothing better he could think of, absolutely nothing, as he began to kiss her again. While his mouth was devouring hers, his brain was working double time, thinking of exactly where this was going next, and it was fueling him up like nothing ever had before. She was delicious, his _red delicious_ at that, sweet and sexy. He had so much he wanted to do with her, and he knew where he was going to start: those basic four positions...done Derek Morgan style!...

**For More of this chapter, please see my profile!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_AN: Thanks for the reviews, folks! You are such a glorious bunch to write for!...As for the story...Good heavens, I was in a mood when I wrote this chapter LOL...They're like Pringles; once they pop, they can't stop!...This is rather strong; reader discretion advised._

Penelope woke, still snuggled with Derek. It was obviously early; she could see just the faint glow of sunlight casting onto the floor. She felt his arms stir around her and wanted to turn back and see him, but she was afraid she had dragon breath. She breathed in her hand, checking.

"That was polite," he said with a chuckle, causing her to jump.

She turned and looked at him, seeing his big cheesy grin. "Well, I..."

"A quick tip: men really don't think about that kind of thing. We're stinky, sweaty, gassy people. In other words," he said, wiggling his brows, "shit happens."

She snickered. "So you're absolutely fine with my morning funk?"

He shrugged. "Depends on how funky it is. Lightly funky, sure...Disco funky, hell, no."

She started to chuckle more. "You're kind of disgusting, you know that?"

He shrugged, then leaned closer and sniffed. "Lightly funky... green light."

A second later, he pushed her onto her back and gave her a nice, sweet, good morning kiss. Afterward, he tucked her into his arms again, kissing the top of her head.

They lay quietly, her head on his arm. Then she said, "You were right."

"What?"

She looked up at his curious face and smirked."You don't have that trigger problem."

He smirked back at her and said, "I have to be honest. I probably _would_ have had a problem, even with the condom, if it wasn't my second performance of the night."

She frowned. "Second performance?" Her brows knit in concentration, and then she began to blush as she figured out what he meant. "Good Lord."

"None of that," he scoffed, brushing a fingertip over her rapidly heating cheeks. "It's the truth. Woman, I have wanted you for such a long time; I would've lasted thirty seconds if I didn't."

That made her blush even more, and she groaned, trying to pull the blanket over her head. "You don't need to _say_ it!"

He sighed and tugged the blanket back down. "Honey, if we are going to have an affair, we have to be able to talk about anything."

"We already did talk about everything before this," she grumbled. "I'm your friend, first, Derek. I know about your conquests, and your choice in beer, and your mother, and your neighbor who lets Clooney out, and—"

"Don't forget my argument with the phone company," he interrupted, remarking dryly.

She smiled gently. "Did you ever get that charge taken off?"

He laughed. "Fact is, sweetheart, we do know each other. So well, we need to feel comfortable to meet each other's needs."

"I know," she said. "I just think—"

"This thing between us...this is going to last a long time, sugar."

Her heart began to race. Was he talking about...was he...

He sighed and held her hand, explaining, "If we are going to keep doing this for one hundred poses, it's going to take us some time."

For some reason, that deflated her just a little bit. Of course he was talking about the book! She tried to hold back any disappointment in her tone.

"Not that long," she mused. "You did four of 'em last night..."

He grinned at her. "I was showing off."

She gave a quick nod. "Well, it worked."

"Anyway," he continued, "because of that, we need to be even more comfortable, know even more about one another."

She nodded her agreement, although she was nervous. She was a more private person than even he knew; there were some fantasies she never said aloud to herself, much less told anyone else. And she had a lot of sexual baggage—failures and disappointments—from lovers that were no where near Derek's caliber.

_She_ was no where near Derek's caliber!

"So...here are some facts that only a lover would know about me," he said, reaching his hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Okay," she said, a little startled that Derek referred to her as his lover. She was still having a hard time digesting that.

"I always sleep on the right side of the bed," he stated.

She gave him a sarcastic smile. "I knew that already. I've spent the night here a few times."

"Just seeing if you were listening," he said, smirking. "I love to cuddle, I don't mind morning breath, I like kissing as much as fucking, I love big tits and curvy asses, I'm an insomniac, and I am a morning person."

"What else?" she asked. She'd figured all that out last night.

He smiled gently, and touched the side of her face. He wanted to say, _I love to please you. Have wanted to please you for years. I wanted to show you a good morning, a good afternoon, and a good evening forever. Most of all, I wanted to show you a good night._

Then he immediately thought afterward, _Too much, too soon._

So, instead, he said, "I love it when a lover talks to me, tells me what they want and need. I need to know; I'm not a mind reader." He gave her a slow, sexy grin and continued, "I promise I will read your body like a book, feel how you react, how wet and hot you get, what makes you throb the hardest...but I can't know what's in your head—and that's the most important sexual part you got."

She stared at him, wide eyed, blinking for a moment. "Wow...I wasn't expecting that."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "Get used to it, angel: I'm full of surprises."

She smiled back at him and snuggled into his arm.

"So, what about you?"

She tensed. "What about me what?"

"What can I know that only a lover would know?" he asked.

She raised her head to grin mischievously at him. "Besides that I like to sleep on the left side?"

He laughed. "Smart ass."

"I don't know," she said. "Although I think I'm pretty readable."

"You can do better than that, P."

"All right," she said, seriously thinking for a moment. "I like everything you did last night. I couldn't find fault with it at all."

"That's nice to hear. Keep talking."

Penelope hesitated. She has so much she wanted to say, about her love life, about what she felt comfortable with and what she didn't. She just didn't know what to tell him; she didn't want to tell him anything that would make him think she wasn't sexy.

Taking a deep breath, she began again, "Well...Contrary to my sexy goddess reputation, I am not the most adventurous in bed."

"This, coming from the woman who bought this book," he commented, pointing towards the object he mentioned. He snorted. " I don't believe that for a second."

She started slowly, "Well...I haven't done a whole lot of stuff and have done some stuff wrong."

"What do you mean ___done stuff wrong_?" he asked, voicing the one question she didn't want to answer.

She blushed red, but continued, "I tried certain moves, like standing and sitting up sex, and it didn't work quite right."

"Okay. We'll do that, and we'll make it work, proving that it wasn't you," he said matter of factly.

She blushed again and shook her head. "Derek, I am not exactly like the typical woman you've made love to in the past."

"No, you're not," he said, starting to kiss her wrist. "You're uniquely Penelope, which is what turns me on."

She was getting a little irritated at Derek for making her spell it out. Sometimes he was remarkably thick headed. The truth was, she'd done standing sex with Kevin, when he wanted to do it against a door. Mid-stroking, he'd gotten a terrible cramp in his leg and had to put her down. He'd blamed it on her being heavier, which she couldn't disagree with.

She must've given something away with her look, because Derek clucked his tongue in a tsking sound.

"Oh," he said, continuing to tsk, giving her an all knowing look, shaking his head.

Before she could comment, he climbed out of bed, then reached for her and scooped her up.

"Derek!" she squealed, kicking her legs.

"Are you sore?" he asked, arching a brow.

"What?" she asked, eyes wide.

He gave her a bald stare. "You're tight; I'm big. Are you sore?" he repeated, a no nonsense tone to his voice.

She stopped kicking and flushed six shades of scarlet again. "No."

"Good," he said, dipping his knees. "Reach my jeans and go in my right pocket, please."

"You're going to hurt your—"

The look he gave her shut her up quickly.

She reached her hand to the ground and scooped up his pants. In the pocket were an entire handful of condoms. She pulled one out and quipped, "Pretty sure of yourself, weren't you, cowboy?"

"Yes, ma'am. I aim to please," he replied with a grin...

**For More of this chapter, please see my profile!**


	8. Chapter 8

Per request, I'm advertising this again for folks that are interested. This is over on the _Chit Chat on Author's Corner_ forum. There are so many awesome authors to root for!...

FINAL VOTING HAS STARTED FOR CM FANFIC AWARDS! (DONE 11/30/2010)

Calling all CM readers and authors! Join us for our first Profiler's Choice CM Awards on ! Help us choose the best of the best of the CM stories on , and let your voice be heard. Anyone with a account is eligible to vote. Please check out the final voting ballot and rules at Chit Chat on Author's Forum. All rules and information are on the forum.

**Chapter 8**

_AN: Thanks for the reviews, everyone. I am truly blessed by the outpouring of support I get from you all. Thank you so much...Here comes a teeny tiny chunk of sorta angst... _

After scooping themselves off the floor, Pen glanced at the clock and recoiled in alarm. "Oh, God, cupcake! It's eight ten!"

They both needed to be in the meeting room by nine.

The time flew whenever they'd been together. This was a constant in their relationship, far before the time they started this wild affair. They would head to a restaurant for dinner after work, and before they knew it, it was midnight and the wait staff would be giving them dirty looks, trying to get them out the door.

"It didn't seem like that much time passed," she said, running into her bathroom for a washcloth.

"No, not at all," Derek said, tugging on his jeans. "Be right back; I'm going to get my go bag."

"Hurry!" she called from the bathroom. Mercy, where did the time go?

She grinned as she brushed her teeth. Never mind; she knew exactly where it went!

Three minutes later, Derek was standing behind her, brushing his teeth, while she tried to work some sort of magic with her hair.

"Coos me," he mumbled, a mouth full of frothy white foam, like a rabid animal.

She stepped aside as he spit and rinsed his mouth.

"Thanks," he said, looking back at her. He looked at his jaw, stroked both sides with his hand, and remarked thoughtfully, "I really should shave.."

"No time," she said, shoving him out of the bathroom towards the bed.

She heard him chuckling as she finally gave up and put her hair into a high ponytail and curled her bangs.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she saw that Derek already had a new pair of black jeans on and was putting on some green stick of deodorant. His bag was open in the middle of her bed, and his shirt was spread out.

She quickly threw on her deodorant, then went to put on her bra.

"Here," he said, reaching the back and fastening it.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"All set." He turned her and gave her a wry grin. "Not often do I get to put a bra on someone. Feels kind of weird."

She rolled her eyes and pulled on her control top panty. She had to jump to get into them. She looked at Derek watching her, his head cocked to the side, obviously wondering what the deal was with those panties. She didn't have time to explain as she slid on the tight pencil skirt she had for the day, and her teal flowered blouse.

She went to put chunky teal earrings on and looked in the mirror. "Oh, damn! My makeup!"

"You don't need it," he said. He was now completely dressed, sitting and waiting on her bed. "You look gorgeous without it."

She smiled a little. He was sweet, but he was dead wrong.

"Gorgeous, yes," she said, waving a makeup brush in the air. She smiled as she put on some blusher. "Polished, no."

Five minutes later, Penelope was brushing on a final coat of mascara and a swipe of gloss to her lips. "What time is it, Hot Stuff?"

"Eight forty."

"Whoo hoo!" she exclaimed, coming out of the bathroom, all smiles. "We got time to stop for coffee!"

"That's a good thing," he answered, carrying his go bag full of yesterday's clothes. They headed out the front door together and into Derek's waiting SUV.

A moment later, they were on I-95, heading to work. Derek had the music on low, and she was tapping her foot to the beat.

"Kind of nice, riding together," Derek remarked, still looking out the window.

Penelope smiled wistfully. Actually, the entire morning was kind of nice from her perspective, even though it was rushed at the end. They worked together efficiently and didn't stress out at all.

"Yeah, kind of nice."

Derek pulled into the drive-through coffee shop just off the main Quantico exit. "I'll take a large black coffee and a large soy nonfat caramel macchiato, not so hot, extra shot of espresso, with whip and a caramel drizzle."

Penelope stared at him, her mouth almost falling open. Derek just ordered her favorite drink in the world, exactly how she would order it. After three years of dating, Kevin hadn't even remembered the soy part!

After paying and retrieving the coffee from the drive through cashier, he turned to hand her the cup.

She was still gaping at him.

He laughed shortly. "What?"

"You ordered my coffee. Exactly perfect."

He smirked and shrugged. "So?"

"_No one _orders my coffee correctly. Not even JJ or Emily, and they'd been to the coffee shop with me every day." She narrowed her eyes, like she was studying him. "Yet you got it perfectly on the first try."

Derek looked a little flustered for a moment. Then he turned back to the window. "Profiler. I pay attention."

It wasn't until after they were at the office that Penelope remembered Emily was a profiler, too. That made her wonder: just how closely had Derek Morgan been paying attention to her?

* * *

Thankfully, when they arrived at the BAU, everyone else was already in their respective duties. Penelope thought it would've raised some eyebrows if they walked in together; they lived on the opposite sides of town. Well, maybe not that many eyebrows. She was known to stay at his house here and there, and vise versa; just not usually on a work night.

They were probably going to have to keep to that schedule now. They'd wear each other out, and sooner or later get in trouble.

"Bye, baby," he said. He stood there for a moment, watching her. He looked like he was going to kiss her.

She wasn't ready for that. Not here, where Strauss or the BAU team could see them. She stepped back, and watched a slightly disappointed look cross his face.

"Bye, Hot Stuff. Have a good day," she answered, stepping even farther back, then scurrying to her office like a mouse in a field.

About two hours later, the announcement that they caught a case came up. Penelope fell into full swing and started doing the researching that Hotch asked her to do. She was mid-typing, preparing the tablet downloads, when the door opened to her office.

"Sweetness."

Turning, she saw Derek walk in the doorway of her office. She smiled, and her heart started to pound harder. He'd always affected her like that, even in the past, but now her heart was racing.

She smiled sweetly. "What brings a chocolate god to this mortal's doorway?"

"You? Mortal?" he asked incredulously. "Oh, no. More like a goddess come to earth."

She blushed, grinning even bigger. "What do you need?"

"I just wanted to see you." He shut the door behind him and started walking closer. The heat in his eyes was unmistakable, and reminded her of this morning, and last night...and alerted her to future pleasures, too!

Pound, pound, pound went her heart.

Throb, throb, throb went her groin.

He reached for her hands and helped her stand, bringing her into his arms. She put her hands on his chest, then raised them slowly up to his shoulders.

"There's a case. You have to leave soon," she whispered, her voice sounding funny and thick to her ears.

"Mmm hmm," he replied, his voice a mirror of hers. "I might be gone a long time, so I had to tell you a few things."

"What's that?" she asked, and the throbbing turning into zinging.

He gave her a slow, sexy smirk. "I am assigning you homework, angel girl."

"Okay...what do I need to do?"

"Read the book, and pick four different poses to try when I get back," he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her temple.

She shivered at the contact, and giggled softly at her response. "Maybe I should give the book to _you_, so you can dream about me while you're gone."

"Don't need no book, sugar," he purred. "I do that already."

Leaning forward, he gave her a solid, heated kiss that curled her toes and ensured she'd be dreaming of him, too. Although she knew she would have been anyway...

"Besides," he said with a leer, after he raised his mouth. "I'm sharing a room with Reid, and I don't want to shock the shit out of that poor kid."

She laughed again, and—

She heard the doorknob being turned, and she stepped away from Derek quickly, flushing guiltily.

He gave her a sardonic grin. "I locked it, you know."

She watched as he went and opened it to Emily, thinking that probably wasn't the best thing to do, either.

"Have you two been in here the whole time? We need to go," Emily remarked, glancing in at Penelope. "Why was your door locked?"

Pen couldn't respond. Her eyes just widened guiltily. "Ah..."

"Was it?" Derek said, arching a brow. Then he added casually as he walked out the door, "I didn't know."

It was one of the worst jobs lying Penelope ever heard. Emily must've known it, too. She shot Penelope a look before she walked out, and Garcia blanched.

She wasn't ready. She wasn't at all prepared to talk about what she was doing with Morgan. Casual sex wasn't something she normally did, and she couldn't really defend her actions, beyond just wanting him so badly. For the first time, she had some apprehension, feeling this affair was something kind of...sordid.

She sighed heavily and sunk into her office chair. How could she defend something to Emily that she couldn't defend to herself?


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_AN: Thanks so much for the reviews, folks. I was going to wait until midnight to post, but I'm too bushed to boop! So...here we go..._

After only four days, the team solved the case and Derek was ready to head home. He was anxiously looking forward to getting back home; it felt like he'd been gone forever. He was really anticipating seeing Penelope again. He hadn't had a chance to phone her for more than a moment on the first day while he'd been gone. Then today, the last day, he'd called...and _Lynch _had answered instead. He shuddered in memory of that conversation!

He'd handed off all phone duties to Reid shortly thereafter.

Because the case was wrapping up, he hadn't had the time to call and ask what the problem was. Apparently, Pen had been out for the last two days. It was unlike Penelope not to be in the office, especially on the last day of a case. That was typically the day they'd needed to do the most paperwork collaboration, and no one gathered info faster than his Baby Girl. He knew something pretty awful must've happened to keep her away during wrap up...and really bad if she'd allow someone else near her computers!

So, putting it all together, he'd been worried most of the last few hours. Finally, on the plane ride home, he stepped to the back and called her.

A voice that sounded remotely like Penelope answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, sweetness."

_Sniffle_. "Hi, Hot Stup."

He held the phone away and looked at it, then asked the obvious question, "Baby, you sick?"

She chuckled, and then coughed at the same time. "Excellent powers of deduction, Borgan. Doh wonder you're a profiler," she quipped in the most nasal tone he'd ever heard.

"You sound miserable," he said. He had the urge to laugh a little at her mispronunciations, but he felt too badly for her to do that.

"Don't just sound, sweetie." She paused to blow her nose, loudly. "I look the part, too."

"Poor Baby Girl," he murmured sympathetically.

"I'b sorry," she said, sounding very apologetic. "I picked really fun positions to do, too."

"That's okay, sweetheart," he replied soothingly. "That's the last thing I'm thinking about right now. You need to get better. We don't need to rush."

"I don't think I could rush if I tried," she grumbled dejectedly. Then she yawned, along with a non-pleasure filled moan.

"Baby, go back to bed."

"That rotten place?" she groaned. "I don't wanna. I'b bored."

He chuckled. "You need sleep."

She sighed in defeat. "I do. I guess I'll climb in and dream of your sweet chocolate butt next to be."

"Silly girl. Goodnight."

"Dight."

* * *

Penelope woke a few hours later to a throbbing headache and the faint smell of chicken soup. She'd opened a can of Campbell's® before she'd gone to bed and hadn't eaten any of it, but this smelled better and more flavorful. Forcing herself to sit up, she lowered her legs to the side of her bed and put on her huge yellow fluffy slippers that looked like Big Bird's feet. Then she stood and wandered through the curtain, where she heard a voice, whispering.

"When do I add the noodles, momma?"

Derek was standing in her kitchen, facing her stove. He had a bag of egg noodles on the counter; he was resting his hand on them, like he was questioning picking them up. He must've gotten the a-okay from Mrs. Morgan, because he picked them up and opened the package.

"Tell your bother thank you for be," she said, coming up behind him.

He turned and shot her a grin. "Hey, baby. Feeling better?"

She shook her head, and immediately regretted it, as the world started to spin.

"Momma, I got to let you go," he said as he closed the phone and scooped her up in his arms.

"Hot Stup, I'b fine," she protested as he carried her back to her bed.

"You almost landed on your head in there, woman," he replied, scowling at her as he laid her down. "Don't you give me that _I__'m__ fine_ bullshit."

Her eyes watered. Being sick made her very sensitive. She looked like hell, she felt like hell, and now he was_ mad _at her. Her chin quivered as she said, "You don't deed to yell at be."

He looked immediately contrite. "Baby, I'm sorry."

Against her normal judgment, she began to cry. She felt so miserable, and he was being so sweet; it all hit her very hard. A moment later, he was sliding in behind her, holding her close to him as he tucked the blanket around her.

"Shhhh...hush now," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "You're fine. I'm here, sweetheart."

"I'b sorry," she croaked out, still crying.

"You've been sleeping?"

"All the time." She groaned. Her bedroom was a mess, she had tissues overflowing the garbage, and the chocolate God of her dreams was here.

She mused to herself, _One out of three ain't bad_.

"Not sleeping well, though, I presume?"

She groaned in response.

"Did you eat?" he asked gently.

"Doh. I don' feel like it," she replied. She felt too tired to eat.

"You need to eat; keep your strength up." He released her and began to stand up. "Here, let me get you a cup of soup, and I'll hold you until you sleep."

"Derek, go home," she said, pouting. "You're going to get sick, too, and I'll deber forgibe byself."

"Then we can be in bed together." He tossed her a kleenex® and winked at her, a semi-lascivious grin on his face. "Besides, I'm healthy as a horse. I never get sick."

"Fabous last words," she retorted.

He walked out of her room, laughing...the ass.

Five minutes later, he came back in as she helped herself to sitting. She ate about half of the heaping bowl of soup, and remarkably did feel much better.

"Fran Morgan's famous chicken soup," he said, nodding and eating his own bowlful. "Did wonders when I was a kid."

She gave him a skeptical look. "I thought you neber got sick."

"I don't." He took her bowl and his. "Not as an adult. Lay down." He exited the room for the kitchen again.

Someday, she'd have to talk to him about his domineering ways. Right now, she felt so much better, she wasn't going to argue. She slid down in bed, reached for her remote, and flicked on the television.

He came back in and slid behind her, this time under the covers. He wrapped her in his warm arms, his cheek resting against her temple. "What are we watching?"

"Some old bovie with Cary Grant," she said, yawning.

"_North by Northwest_," he replied, recognizing the show. "Good flick."

"Mmm," she answered, and before she knew it, she was sleeping again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_AN: Thanks for the reviews! Home sick (Maybe I got it from Penelope? LOL), so I am posting a little early..._

After two days of being completely pampered by Derek, Penelope felt so much better. Derek had said it was no big deal; the team had a few days off after they finished a case. Penelope thought there were a million better ways to spend time other than caring for a sick person, but Derek had disagreed wholeheartedly with her.

"It feels good, making you feel good," he'd said, then added a lascivious grin that totally perverted what he'd said.

It also made her laugh, which caused her to cough, so it wasn't the best thing to do to a sick person!

After the first night, he'd gone home the next day and returned only two hours later with a suitcase full of stuff. He was obviously set to wait out her flu bug with her, no matter how long it took. She was done fighting him to get him to leave; he didn't look the slightest bit ill, and she really did want him there. He was wonderful company. She absolutely loved being with him.

Beginning of day four, she was able to go into the living room and sit on the couch. This was a huge improvement for her. She was still weak, but she didn't feel like her head was going to explode, and she had no fever or chills.

She was sitting next to Derek, wearing a pink faux-leopard blanket thing with sleeves, holding a bowl of the second batch of Mrs. Morgan's chicken soup. Her nose had cleared enough that she could actually taste the garlic and herbs in the soup.

"This is really wonderful," she said. "Thank you, again, cupcake."

"Anytime, sweetheart," he said, reaching for the remote. He clicked on some football game happening across the country. He was eating the soup, too, and immediately became fixated on the game. She almost laughed. Whenever a game was on, Derek always became drawn to it. She knew he'd played athletics in college; he obviously was still into any kind of sports.

Mentioning college made made her wonder a bit again, about that girlfriend he'd mentioned having years ago. His first sexual encounter. After spending so much time, night and day, cuddling with Derek, she was learning all sorts of things about him.

It was almost funny; before they started the affair, she'd thought she knew him better than anyone, better than anything. Now, she found that what she knew just barely whet her appetite for more things to know about him. She wanted to know everything.

She took a bite of her soup, then decided to ask him some questions. "Derek?"

"What, honey?" he said, looking over at her, then immediately back at the television when he heard the crack of helmets. She watched him cringe. "Oh, man! Interception."

"Your girlfriend in college," she began slowly. "The one you'd slept with when you were eighteen. What was her name?"

That caused him to look over at her again. He cocked a brow at her in question. "Lisa Blomquist. Why do you want to know?"

"Just wondering," she answered carefully. She didn't want to scare him off. "You know. What made her special, why she was your first...that kind of stuff."

Derek smiled and sat back, giving her his full attention. "It was twenty years ago, Baby Girl. I barely remember her, much less the reasons why."

She scoffed. "Come on, honey. I remember my first. Everyone does."

She did. Ethan Hucklebee, the dark haired, dramatic rocker wannabe with a tiny penis that did the job...however miserably. Like Derek, she had also been eighteen, and had just lost her parents to a drunk driver. She wanted so badly to not think about that pain that she enlisted voluntarily for another pain: losing her virginity to an idiot who didn't give a shit about her.

"Yeah," he said, shrugging a little. He turned to look at the tv again. "Everyone remembers their first love."

That sparked her attention. Love? Whoa, that changed everything. Derek was in _love_ with her? Suddenly, she really wanted to know more about this Lisa Blomquist, aka _the stupidest girl on earth_. Penelope was convinced of that.

After all, what woman would throw away Derek Morgan's love if she had it?

"What was she like?" she asked, softly, gently.

"She was beautiful, sweet, innocent." He laughed, but it wasn't pleasant. "Until I got a hold of her."

"Derek, you were a virgin, too," she said in his defense. "Virgins don't corrupt other virgins."

"Yeah, I did," he said. "We decided to make love, although neither of us were really ready for it. I was the quarterback of the team; it was expected. Lisa was a cheerleader. I'd known her for years. We were good friends. One day, she told me she was ready, she was on the pill, and she wanted me." He gave her a wry look. "So, we did it."

She cringed a little. "That doesn't sound good."

"Actually, it was great. I loved it. Felt like I was doing something I was always meant to do. I've always had a huge sex drive." He grinned at her, and she blushed. She could vouch for that!

"What happened?"

He shrugged, looking back at the television again. "We dated for two years. Lisa wanted more; love, marriage, babies."

_Scratch Lisa being so stupid_, Penelope quickly amended to herself.

"I didn't. At least, I _thought_ I didn't. I dumped her. She went out with a nice guy on the soccer team. They have three kids now." He shot her a self-derisive grin. "Guess I didn't know what I was missing until it was gone."

She leaned into his shoulder. "Poor Hot Stuff."

He looped his arm around her and tucked her into his side. "It was a long time ago."

They sat in silence, Derek watching the game and Pen thinking. She finally asked the main thing on her mind. "Do you still love her?"

"No," he said with a little chuckle. "It was a _t__housand_ years ago, P. I'd just turned twenty-one, I wasn't anywhere _near_ ready for a wife."

She nodded in understanding. That was rather young. She didn't think he'd be ready back then.

She wasn't sure he was ready _now_ for marriage and babies!

"Besides, she found someone better for her. Gary asked her to marry him a month after they started going out, and me...Hell, I know myself. I couldn't settle down. So I lost her." He wiggled his eyebrows at her with a leer. "And instead, I went on to satisfy many women..."

_Including me,_ she thought, leaning more into his side. Her chest tightened uncomfortably, and not from a cough or cold.

And for a moment, she was terribly jealous of Lisa Blomquist, because she was one of the special ones, one that was truly lucky.

She knew what it was like to have Derek love her.

* * *

That night in bed, Penelope was too awake to sleep, but still not feeling up to doing their favorite bedtime activity. She was feeling good enough that she'd be able to return to work tomorrow. Just in time: it was Sunday night.

Derek was laying next to her, his arms looped loosely around her. He was quiet; so quiet, she thought he might be sleeping. This would be their last night together, just because they wanted to be together. There was no sex, nothing like that keeping them. It was just the two of them needing to be by each other.

For the first time she could ever remember, she wished she was still sick.

"Derek?" she questioned.

His sleepy voice answered, "Yes, angel?"

"I'm not tired," she replied, turning in his arms to look at him. "Are you?"

He looked down at her and smiled. "I'm awake now."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

He kissed the tip of her nose. She'd missed that a lot while she was sick. He was only able to kiss the top of her head. The urge to tip her mouth up and give him a real kiss roared through her like wildfire, and her body began to ache pleasantly.

On second thought, she no longer wanted to be sick!

"Can we play a game? Twenty questions?"

"Okay," he said, rolling to his back. "Ask away."

"What size underwear do you wear?" she asked.

"Large. I like room for the boys," he said with a snicker. "What about you?"

"Size eight. Same as my shoe size," she remarked.

"Mine are size thirteen. I got huge feet." To emphasize his point, he ran his foot along her calf.

"You do," she agreed honestly, and then asked, "Pants size?"

"Even numbers. Thirty-four waist, thirty-four inseam." He grinned—she could see his white teeth flashing in the moonlight—when he asked, "Bra size?"

"Never mind," she retorted.

"Thirty-eight double D." His grin turned bigger. "I looked when I helped you on with it."

She leaned up on her elbow and slapped his arm. "You're awful!"

"Hey, I needed to know what size _perfection_ truly was."

She snuggled into the same arm she'd slapped. "I guess you're not so awful."

"Favorite body part," he asked.

"I like my nose," she responded, wiggling the aforementioned part.

He gave her such a look, she giggled. "On me."

"Okay," she answered with a smile. "Your hands. I love your big, strong, beautiful hands."

"Know what my favorite part is?"

"I think I know," she replied archly. "The double D part you mentioned earlier."

"Nah-uh," he replied, laying on his back again. "Try again." Then quickly amended, "Although, those are indeed lovely."

She rolled her eyes, and then half asked, half said, "My eyes?"

"Nope."

She cringed and made a face."This is gross...oh, God, I can't believe I'm saying this!...but my _pussy_?"

"Nothing gross about that-and I hope you love my dick, too-but you're still wrong," he answered with a teasing smile.

She'd moved up to her elbow to look at him. He was giving her just the right smile. It was lacking any leering or vulgarity, it was just...matter of fact. If he would've given her a leer, it would've made it nasty and coarse, would've made her feel ashamed of what they were doing, but he didn't. His smile was absolutely perfect; it warmed her heart.

Now curiosity was nearly killing the Penelope. "Derek. What is it?"

He yawned. "Baseball rules. Three strikes, you're out.." He rolled over on his side and tucked her wiggling body next to his. "Try again tomorrow night."

"Derek!" she growled, wiggling more. She felt his even breathing, and she huffed, and the corners of her mouth began to raise as she felt much better. She thought about what he'd said.

This wasn't the end at all.

They were doing this again tomorrow night.

With a satisfied smile, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_AN: Thanks for the reviews and the well wishes!...I would also like to thank everyone who voted for me in the Profiler's Choice awards-I won a few!...I am posting a note on my profile...Because everyone knows: "The best weapon is a thorough and accurate profile"...*wink*..._

Pen and Derek headed into work together the next day. Derek drove, since he'd driven to her house. They even had time to stop for coffee again at their favorite drive through shop.

"You sure you're feeling okay?" he asked as they stopped by her office first. He put his cup down on her desk, and then held her hands, his brow furrowed. "You look perky. No fever or anything?"

"Yes, love bug, I'm fine," she said, her heart warming. He was so sincerely worried about her, she knew he cared so very much.

"Okay," he said, leaning down and kissing her cheek.

Emily walked around the corner again. "PG! How're you feeling?"

"Better," she said. This time, she didn't feel sheepish at all about Emily seeing them alone together. "Derek made me soup, and I feel like a new woman."

"My momma's chicken soup did it," he added, looping an arm around Penelope's shoulders. "Works like a charm every time."

Emily looked between the two of them and smiled a knowing smile. "Great! Glad to hear it. You will have to share that recipe with me, Morgan. Dean gets head colds all the time."

Dean was Emily's on again, off again lover. Everyone knew she wouldn't settle down with Dean; there was absolutely no chemistry between the two of them.

"Will do," he said as his phone rang. He looked at it and frowned. "I'd better get this one. Bye, ladies."

"Bye, Morgan," Prentiss said in a sing song tone as he walked away. She immediately turned to look at Penelope. "We are on for lunch today, girl. JJ's coming, too. No excuses."

Penelope smiled and nodded as Em walked away. She was ready to sing Derek's praises, even if she couldn't quite sing about their relationship yet. She saw good things in their future.

* * *

"We've been going out for a couple of weeks," she admitted, answering Emily's first question out of what Penelope guessed would be many. She took another bite off her plate of carbonara.

Penelope sighed. She'd known this was coming. After they'd exchanged pleasantries with JJ, getting reacquainted, asking how the new job was going, and all that sort of stuff, she'd positively known it would head into murkier territory.

JJ gave her a skeptical look. "Okay...How'd it go from being buddies to downright affection?"

"We're still buddies," Pen responded. "There's just...a little more now."

"A little_ more_?" Emily queried incredulously, then added with a smirk, "Any more, and that man would be drooling!"

Both of JJ's brows went up, along with the corners of her mouth. "Oh? Really?"

"It's not that serious, yet, Em," Pen answered, fighting a blush. "We're simply testing the waters of something; exploring options, so to speak."

That sounded like the most plausible thing to say. Saying, _We're working our way through a sex book_ sounded rather...disgusting.

Smiling, JJ swallowed the bite of sandwich she took. "Well, I, for one, are glad you're exploring _options_. The two of you are a team."

Prentiss gave a knowing look over her linguine. "Options aren't the only thing you two are exploring..."

Penelope ignored her and speared a pea on her plate. "He's really good to me, JJ."

"I can tell. There's a glow about you, Penelope."

"She's right. Even being pale from being sick, there's a happy glow," Emily added. "I think you two would make a wonderful couple."

That made Penelope a touch nervous. She knew Derek cared for her, but the way Emily said it made it sound like forever. She wasn't sure if she—or Derek, more likely!—was ready for forever. They were just having fun, having sex, and—she smiled at the thought—making each other feel really, really good.

To both ladies, she simply nodded and replied, "Thank you."

"I think it's neat," Em continued, picking up her breadstick. "You two have always been so much more to each other; a special bond, unbreakable. Unlike anything else in the BAU, that's for sure."

Penelope internally gasped as that made her think even more. That was true, but that was best friendship. Nothing more. Why didn't they see that?

"Well, now that you have your news, I can tell you mine." JJ's grin spread to cover her face. "Will and I are expecting."

"Oh, Jayje!" Pen replied, reaching her hand across the table to hold JJ's. "That's wonderful. Congratulations."

"Congrats!" Emily replied with her mouth full of pasta.

They talked about baby names, toys, what Henry thought, what Will thought, all sorts of things. Emily excused herself to the bathroom...and then JJ added the shocker.

"You know, this baby could use another playmate," JJ said, leaving that statement rather open ended.

"Yeah?" Pen asked, not looking before she leaped, venturing into dangerous territory.

JJ grinned, giving her a teasing look. "Well, now that you are in love, I only thought..."

Penelope was taken aback for a moment. Not about having a baby, but the whole scheme of it. Did she come across as in _love_? She knew they _kinda_ loved each other, but that kind of love, the marriage and baby love, seemed way off to her somehow.

A voice in the back of her head, one she couldn't ignore, called out, _Really?_

She wanted to yell at her subconscious, _Yes, really!_ But she couldn't deny it, either: there was a huge part of her that felt so warm, so comfortable with Derek, she could seriously believe anything was possible.

She didn't realize that JJ was still talking, until she looked up at her and saw her mouth moving.

"Penelope, are you okay? I was just joking," JJ said, squeezing Pen's now cold hand. "You got awfully pale there."

Penelope snapped out of it and squeezed JJ's hand back. "No. I'm fine."

She frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Just the after effects of being sick."

Pen decided to dismiss the whole thing from her head. She'd just ended a long term relationship; she didn't need to have another right away. After talking to Derek last night, she knew neither of them were ready for that. She was going to have fun with this, that was all.

JJ gave her a look, still questioning her well being like the momma bear she was.

"Garcie, you okay?" Emily asked, taking her seat. "You look pale."

"Stop worrying your gorgeous heads about me," Pen replied, beaming her most reassuring smile at the two women. "There are far more important things to worry about. Now! Are you _really_ thinking of naming the baby _Oliver_?"

* * *

Finally, it was a quarter to five, nearly time to go, and she was exhausted. She didn't feel as good as she thought she did, but she'd suffered out the whole day anyway. Pen wandered next door to where Derek's office was. She stood in the door frame, watching while he was on the phone. "Knock knock."

Derek looked up with a quick frown, and then smiled. "Oh, hi, Baby. C'mon in." She walked in and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. He put his attention back to the phone. "Okay. See you later."

"Hey," she said in greeting.

"How are you feeling, beautiful?" he asked, coming around and sitting next to her. "First day back, you must be exhausted."

"I feel like a limp dishrag," she replied honestly. "I'm ready for a nap."

Derek chuckled. "I thought so. It takes longer to recover than you realize, especially when you are so high energy, like you are."

She nodded as he stood, reaching his hands out to tug her to her feet. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a hug, a nice warm one that melted her heart just a touch.

She sighed and leaned into him. "Feels so good, your hugs," she murmured, burying her face in his chest.

"Thanks," he answered, kissing the top of her head. He looped an arm around her shoulders. "Baby, I'm going to drop you off tonight so you can get some much needed sleep. I'm going to meet a friend for a drink. Old college friend who's having some problems."

"Anything I can do?" she asked as they headed towards the parking lot.

"No. Terry just needs a friend right now," he said, opening her car door.

"Oh." She slid in and buckled her seat belt. _Terry. Who was Terry?_ The questions ran rampant in her mind, curiosity killing the cat. She was about to ask, when he reached for her hand.

"You okay, Baby?" he asked, reaching over to hold her hand. "Your fingers are like ice. You're not relapsing, are you? I'll cancel, if—"

"No," she interrupted quickly. "I'm fine. Just tired."

A moment later, they arrived at her house. He pulled in front of the courtyard, parked the truck, and hopped out to open her door.

"You're sure?" he asked, cupping her face, bringing his big, warm palms she loved against her cheeks.

She nodded briefly and added, "Tell Terry I hope he is okay."

"It's a she," he said, with a warm smile. "She was our statistician on the baseball team. She's having some issues with her ex-husband, who used to be a damned good friend of mine."

She frowned. "Used to be?"

He shook his head. "Long story."

"I wanna hear it," she protested.

He sighed and shook a negative again. "Baby, you look so tired, like you're going to collapse."

"I feel like I'm going to collapse," she mused, answering honestly.

He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. "I'll see you tomorrow." He let her go, and then cupped her chin and winked at her. "We'll talk about those positions you picked then."

Nodding, she turned and walked up to her house. Wearily, she opened the front door, and then the door to her apartment. It took more energy to kick off the high heels she wore.

She stumbled into her kitchen and used the microwave to warm up a bowl of Mrs. Morgan's soup. When it was done, she only ate a few bites. She threw the rest down the garbage disposal, and then made her way into her bedroom. After tugging on her pajamas, she tied the waistband of the comfortable pants as she headed into the bathroom.

"Ugh," she said, looking into the mirror. She looked like she felt: wrung out, tired, and sad.

A quick, petty thought crossed her mind. _I__ bet even with her marital problems, Terry looks a lot better than me tonight._

Chastising herself for her wicked thoughts, she scrubbed off her makeup and brushed her teeth. When she was done, she entered her bedroom and looked at the clock. It was barely seven PM.

At this point, she didn't care. She crawled into her bed, pulled the comforter up, and hugged her pillow, catching faint scents of Derek. The bed, which was the right size before, suddenly seemed big and lonely. It was strange; she was lonelier in the bed right now than she was after she'd broken up with Kevin.

She really wished Derek was there.

A few tears slipped down her cheeks, and she wiped them away, cursing herself for being sick and sentimental. After tossing and turning, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12  
**

_AN: Thank you so much for the reviews! I am an entire day early on posting this, but I am not going to be able to be on tomorrow. I have my family Christmas party (Eight brothers and sisters and their families-My immediate family totals 48 people!), so I am cooking, cleaning and partying most of the day...So, enjoy and see you Monday or late Sunday night...As for the story...this is a HUGE chapter...Now, remember, I warned you. This is rather spicy (But do-able!)..._

In the middle of the night, Penelope woke to the warmth of strong arms surrounding her, and the unmistakable, delicious, masculine smell of Derek Morgan. The faint aroma of some brand of beer was still on his warm breath that was wafting lightly on her face. His chest was bare, as it always was when he was in her bed, and the few hairs he had were tickling her nose.

"Hotstuff," she slurred out in one sleep cluttered, nearly incoherent sentence.

"Hush...sleep," he murmured, rubbing her back in hypnotic circles.

"But...Terry?" she asked, her voice cracking just a little bit.

"She's fine."

_It was just like Derek to be so forthcoming_, Penelope mused to herself.

She tried to raise herself up, but he prevented her. She snuggled back down in his arms. "I thought you said you'd see me tomorrow?"

"It is tomorrow. It's one am. Besides, you looked so sick and sad when I left you, I had to make sure you were doing okay." He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then looked at her with a wry grin. "Now I feel guilty as hell because I'm waking you up."

"No!" she said, wrapping her arms around him, holding him tightly. "No, I'm so-" She stifled a yawn, then shook her head. "-I'm so glad you're here."

She could feel it as his chest rumbled with contained mirth. "Silly Girl. Go to sleep. I got a meeting at seven, so I won't be riding in with you."

"Okay," she murmured, yawning hugely again. She settled more comfortably against him.

He brought a hand up to stroke her hair, and whispered, "Night, Baby Girl."

"Night, Hotst..."

Derek waited a few moments, making sure she was asleep, before he tucked her even closer. He'd felt her arms grow looser where they were wrapped against him, and her breathing become even. He took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of warm, spiced pears and some beautiful sweetness that was individualized only for Penelope. He gave a kiss to the top of her head, and settled more into his pillow, when he heard her mumble.

"What?" he asked.

"My lips?"

He gave a short bark of laughter. Only Penelope-She was so exhausted, she could barely stay awake, and yet she still had to question him. "No, angel. Go to sleep."

"My butt, my ears?" she added.

He cupped her chin and dropped a kiss on her lips. "No. Try again tomorrow night."

She grumbled, nuzzled into him, and immediately fell asleep.

* * *

"Morning, Princess," Derek said, meeting her in the hallway on the way to her office.

"I'll show you a good morning, Hot Stuff," she quipped back, smiling and chipper. For the first time in days, she actually meant it and felt like she could deliver on it. After sleeping twelve hours straight, she woke up, no sinus headache, no chills, nothing.

Derek beamed at her. "Someone's spunky again."

"Mmm hmm." She shot him a devilish grin and leaned closer to him, whispering, "So spunky, I think I am ready for positions four through eight."

His eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

She almost giggled at the eager, near squeak she heard in his voice. He sounded more like Spencer Reid than Derek Morgan at that moment.

Playing the seductress, she ran her fingertip down the buttons of his shirt. Purring, she replied, "Really. And you never asked me what four positions I picked..."

He swallowed hard. "I didn't, did I?"

She shook her head slowly, then let her fingertip trail lower before removing her hand completely. "Nope."

He must've had enough time to digest; some of his smooth mojo came back with aplomb. He smirked at her, a low, sexy, naughty grin that made her wet, and said, "I think I need to remedy that. Tonight."

She nodded, then placed both hands on his shoulders and put her lips near his ear. "Bring another pocketful," she breathed, kissed the spot just underneath his earlobe, then dragged that lobe between her teeth.

She turned and walked away, but not before she heard, "Damn, woman!"

She smiled the rest of the way into her office, and even while she logged into her computer. This was going to be a good day.

* * *

As expected, Derek followed her home from the BAU in his SUV. He stepped out of the truck, then opened her car door. He reached for her hand and tugged her to her feet, then pressed his body against her.

She took a quick breath of air as she felt his arousal press into her belly. "Coming in, tiger?"

"No. I don't trust myself, but I'm wondering...How fast can you be in there, angel?" he asked, his voice a low purr, like a cat being scratched just the right way.

She gave him a half-smile and raised her eyebrow. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking of four positions, and _my_ king size bed, instead of your double..." He let his voice trail off as he cupped the side of her face.

She rested her tongue on the back of her front teeth, then licked her top lip and looked over the top of her glasses at him. "I'll pack quickly."

He took a quick intake of breath, and his eyes darkened to near obsidian depths.

She squirmed out from under him and started a quick trot towards her door.

He was a step behind her. "I'll help."

When she opened her door, he was directly behind her, moving her long red hair, kissing her neck. Shivers ran up her arms as she felt his arms come around her waist.

She turned in his arms, trying to move away. "Baby Boy, how am I supposed to get anything done-"

His mouth on hers silenced any possible protests. Penelope couldn't help but think his mouth was like the man himself: hot, smooth, dark and irresistible. She gave as good as she got, driving her tongue into his mouth, cupping his head in both of her hands, tugging him forward. She was so grateful to have four inch heels on; it got her closer to the man at just about the right height.

He angled his head, making the kiss deeper, licking against her tongue with velvet sweeps. He cupped her ass in his hands, lifting her up until she was on her tiptoes, grinding his pelvis against hers. His deep groan, followed by a soft chuckle made her smile, until he drank from her mouth again.

God, could this man kiss! This time, there was so much heat, she felt her knees getting weaker and her blood thrumming slowly throughout her veins. She moved her hands to his shoulders for a better grip; she didn't need to pull him forward any more. He was helping her reach the right height with his supporting hands on her bottom. She swayed towards him and felt the strength of his hard chest against her tightening nipples.

"What's the first position?" he growled as he moved his mouth to the smooth column of her neck...

**For More of this chapter, please see my profile!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_AN: Thanks for the reviews! Had a blast at the party, now I am bushed, but happy, and ready to post!...Now here we go..._

They never made it to Derek's place.

The two of them sprawled on the floor, slept for awhile, then wandered their naked bodies into the kitchen. Penelope had very little in her refrigerator, due to being sick most of the week and having zilch energy for grocery shopping. She opened her freezer and removed two frozen meals.

"Chicken Teriyaki stir fry or Chicken Fried Rice?"

Derek scrunched his nose up. "Lean Cuisine?"

She scowled. "What's wrong with Lean Cuisine?"

"Nothing, if you're a bird," he retorted flatly. "I just had one hell of a workout I intend on repeating soon. I need meat."

She snickered and picked up her phone. "Will pizza do, oh caveman?"

He beat his chest. "Me say pizza with extra pepperoni."

Rolling her eyes, she called Angelo's for delivery, and ended up ordering a large pizza and Buffalo wings. They chatted amicably while they waited for the delivery guy to came over, discussing work, life things, home repairs, and all sorts of other things.

To her surprise, they didn't discuss the next positions.

Forty minutes later, the delivery guy buzzed her house. Penelope looked for her skirt and shirt, but Derek had already tugged on his pants and ran out the door barefoot. A moment later, he returned, bearing pizza, wings, and a massive smile.

"You don't have to pay, you know," she said, taking the wings from the top of the pizza box.

"I can treat my goddess if I feel like it," he retorted with a smug grin. He opened the box, lifted a slice, and took a huge bite. "Consider it an offering on your altar."

She shook her head. "Sorry, Baby Boy. I only take diamonds and rubies."

He cocked a brow at her. "Is that so?"

"Mmm hmm. I require expensive upkeep," she purred, her voice low and sexy. "I'm accustomed to luxury."

He put the pizza down and pulled her into his arms, giving her a quick kiss. "I'll empty my bank account. You'd be worth it."

She was going to laugh, but managed only a giggle. Something in his eyes, in the way he'd responded to her, made her seriously believe he'd meant it.

Then that intense look left, and he smiled again, like he always did, and handed her a slice of pizza. "Eat, woman. You need your energy. If I'm going to be a broke, happy man, you need to earn that upkeep fee."

This time, she laughed. "Sometimes you're such a tool."

"Quit talking about my tool, sweetheart, and eat."

She rolled her eyes, slapped his arm and picked up her slice.

* * *

After eating all the pizza and wings, they'd made their way to Penelope's bedroom.

"Ready?" he asked, unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. His jeans went downward; at the same time, the corners of his mouth (Along with another important part of his anatomy!) sprang upward.

Penelope looked down at his burgeoning erection. He was obviously ready for the next position, but she wasn't. She was so full, she couldn't possibly imagine doing some pretzel-twisty, contortionist's wet dream. She'd probably toss her cookies!

She decided to tell him that, straight out. "I ate too much. Didn't you?"

He'd eaten over twice as much as she had; he ought to be full!

"Not at all," he said. He pulled her into his arms and gave her another kiss, this one soft and tender. "But I can wait. Let's just watch some TV then."

She grinned. "Ah, simply vegetating sounds good."

The two of them crawled into the bed together, watching the only thing on, an ancient sitcom, resting and laughing. During commercial breaks, which were numerous, he gave her hot little kisses that lit her on fire and made her happy. By the end of the second half hour show, she'd started kissing him back hungrily, holding him closer with her arm and her leg looped on him. Her pizza must've been digested enough, because she was ready to throw him on his back and take him. Now.

Derek reached his arms around her and tugged her on top of him. He threaded his fingers in her hair, and cupped her face. "I think we're ready for the frog."

She looked at him questioningly, but was willing to try anything at this point. No matter what they did, it rocked her world, so it wasn't an issue with her.

They made love.

Afterward, he rolled to her side and tucked her against him.

"I think," he stopped to pant, then continued, "I think we're only going to get three in today, angel."

She would've laughed, if she had the energy to do so. Minutes later, she was sleeping.

* * *

The next day at work, Penelope was still _moseying_ with her bowlegged waddle. She was definitely sore. Pleased as punch, damned satisfied, but sore. They'd overdone it. They were highly athletic and insatiable together, managing to squeeze in one more "traditional" sex act this morning before work. Now even Derek looked sore; he was favoring his right knee a little bit.

To make matters worse, David Rossi had taken one look at the two of them when they'd walked into the meeting and burst out laughing, so badly, he'd had tears running down his swarthy Italian face. From the devilish twinkle in his eyes, it was obvious he'd know _exactly_ what their _issue_ was.

Immediately after, Emily had stopped by, giving her a sarcastic grin. "Good God. I knew once it happened, once you two finally hit the sheets, you'd tear it up, but don't you think this is kind of ridiculous? You can barely walk!"

After telling Emily to go hang, Penelope decided there was some truth in what she'd said. This, indeed, needed to be a weekend only thing. They were having too much fun, having an overabundance and overindulgence of sex. All of the positions were a raging success; the two of them were ready to burn the bed up with the things they did. So much so, they'd exhausted each other. Yet neither one was willing to give in and call it a night, so she knew she needed to be the voice of reason.

"Hey, pumpkin," Derek said, walking into her office a few hours later.

"Hiya, Hot Stuff. I'm glad you stopped in." She looked up at him with a nervous smile, not exactly sure how to approach her idea. "Shut the door. I have to talk to you."

He did as she bid, then took a seat on the corner of her desk and crossed his arms, his papers rustling. "Sure, baby. What's up?"

She gave him a crooked grin. "I think maybe we need to do this less."

"Do what less?" he asked, rather obtusely in her book.

"Have sex," she answered, trying hard not to color up. "I mean, you and I shouldn't be having sex so often."

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking surprised. "I don't. I think we're doing a damned good job at it. You really want to cool it off?"

"Yes, D," she said matter-of-factly. "I think we need to see each other weekends only and take a break from each other during the weeknights."

"Why?"

She blushed. "Well, you saw the way Rossi looked at us and laughed, and...well, I _am_ sore, and your knee..."

"My knee is fine,"he snapped. "And I don't give a damn what anyone else has to say. Why do you?"

"Honey, please," she said, rolling her eyes."I need a break. It's getting to be too much. Only weekends. That's all."

Derek looked away for a second at the papers he was holding, then looked back up at her, his expression inscrutable. "Okay, princess. I understand."

She smiled back at him with a sardonic grin. "At least this way, you'll get some sleep now and we can get other stuff done, too."

He shrugged and stood back up. "I wasn't complaining, but you want. Have it your way."

And he left the office without a backward glance.

**For More of this chapter, please see my profile!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_AN: Thanks for the review! This story is really fun to write. Hope you are all enjoying reading it, too...Now, here comes another huge chapter..._

"Oof! " Derek exclaimed, all the air whooshing out of his lungs. "Watch the knee, Baby Girl." He was trying to hold himself up while Penelope moved into a rather tricky position they wanted to try. She'd just bumped a very important part of his anatomy with her knee when she'd tried to move, one that she probably shouldn't bump too roughly.

"Sorry, sweets," she replied with a sheepish grin, looking up from her twisted position underneath him. She crawled carefully back out and sat back on her heels, letting out all of her breath in defeat. "I think maybe some positions just aren't for us."

It was now their third weekend, and sixteenth position, together. It was amazing, really. She'd wondered if they would make it that far.

After she'd announced the need to cool it off a bit, Derek had been a little colder and a lot more aloof with her throughout the rest of that week. There'd been very little talking, even less holding, caressing and touching, and she'd really missed it. Several times, she'd glanced over at Derek, seen the chilly look on his face, and wondered: did he miss her, too?

By Thursday of that week, he hadn't called; they hadn't even had _lunch_ together, and they _always_ had lunch together at least once a week. She was certain he'd been angry with her. So much so, she'd asked him, "Derek, are you mad at me?"

"No," he'd said quickly, looking apologetic. He'd given her a fierce hug and kissed the top of her head. "Never. Just ignore me; I've just got a lot on my mind."

Then the weekend came around, and he'd burned the sheets up with her so much, she'd felt limp come Monday.

The whole next week, he'd talked with her like normal, seemed like normal...but by Wednesday, he'd started avoiding her again. She'd been rather irritated by it, so much so, she'd gone to the FBI gym to have it out with him. She thought back to it, with a slight frown...

_The weight room was full for a Wednesday night. When __she__ walked in, several cadets and agents gave a low whistle, which bolstered her confidence. __She__ searched all over, before finding someone who knew where Derek was. She found __him, pumping iron in the back room that was filled with several other men. __He was bench__ pressing a whole lotta __weight, sweating__ like a dog, with some other massive dude standing over him, spotting him. __The man looked__ a lot like a bulldog, and sounded like one, too._

_"Come on, Morgan. Get the piss out of it and push!"_

_"Fuck...you," Derek barked back, shoving the heavy weight upward._

_"Derek?" Penelope asked, sounding meek even to herself. There was way too much testosterone in the room for her to feel comfortable. _

_"Baby Girl," he said immediately, sitting up and wiping his sweaty face with his hand. The tank top he was wearing was positively saturated with moisture, and was sticking to every gorgeous muscle. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I need to talk to you," she firmly said._

_He looked over at the bulldog. "Fifteen, Kyle?"_

_"That's all it's gonna take you?" Kyle answered with a smirk._

_Derek grabbed his water bottle, then looped his arm around her waist and lead her out of the room into a smaller room with tables. He took a pull of his __water, and then__ asked, "What's wrong?"_

_"I want to ask you the same thing."_

_He frowned. "Nothing's wrong. __What—"_

_"Nothing's wrong?" she interrupted, scowling at him. "You've been ignoring me, __and—"_

_"Ignoring you?" he interrupted back with a growl. He pulled her hard against his chest and looked down at her. "Woman, I _can't _ignore you. I've tried. I think about you every minute of every day. It is __completely _impossible_ for me to ignore you."_

_She looked at him, her mouth gaping __open. That__ wasn't what she'd __expected him to say._

_Derek released her, bit his bottom __lip, and then__ ran a hand over his face. He sighed heavily, hanging his head. It was obvious __he hadn't meant to__ say what he'd just said which confused her. "Baby, I'm sorry. I'm working off steam, talkin' stupid. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"_

_She __nodded, and then__ left the room quickly..._

Now, with a quick movement, he picked her up and flipped her onto her back, taking her effectively out of her past thoughts.

"Nonsense," he purred, wiggling his eyebrows with obvious wicked intent, pressing his sweatpant covered crotch in between her legs. "Every position is ours..."

She burst out laughing. "You crazy man. _That_ was not a good position for us. If you were even a touch more interested, I would've hurt you big time."

He looked affronted. "I was interested. In fact, I've still got a chubby, and you didn't actually hurt me. It's all good." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Just roll wit it, baby."

She gave him an incredulous look, just barely hiding her mirth. "_Roll wit it_?"

He gave her a half grin. "Yeah. What's so bad about that?"

"_Gangsta_ Derek of the FBI?" She started laughing again.

"Fine. Reject me." He rolled off of her, pretending to be upset, scrambling to stand up.

"Oh, good Lord. It just sounded funny," she said, rolling her eyes. She tugged at the waistband of his sweats, pulling them down and away from his body, revealing his cute, tight butt to her gaze. She gave it a smack with her free hand. "Come on, my dulcet darling. Let's practice this one and get it right."

She smiled as he sat back down and pulled her across his lap again. They started pretzel twisting again. It was such fun, these crazy positions. She always picked the craziest-looking pose in the book. She'd looked forward to doing this one all week.

After Wednesday, he'd driven her crazy Thursday and Friday, touching her, smiling lasciviously at her, just making her plain old hot...and making her wish she'd never called off the weeknight sessions. Actually, he didn't have to do a thing to make her wish she hadn't changed her mind. She missed having him there, and after the weight room, she knew he'd missed having her, too. He still called her on the phone, like he'd always done, still flirted like mad with her, and she with him, but it just wasn't the same...

"Oh, damn," he groaned again, as her knee made the same contact, only this time, a little harder.

"D, I'm so sorry!"

"You gotta concentrate, and you weren't. In fact, it looked like you were in left field." He chuckled lightly and helped her back to sitting. "Sweetheart, what are you thinking about?"

She glanced at him, and then looked away. "I was...um...thinking about the weeknights."

"Really."

She nodded at him. "I was wishing we still were on for weeknights."

He cocked a brow with a very surprised look. "You do?"

She looked at him and nodded again. "If we weren't so tired, and Em and Rossi didn—Ooh!"

Derek had pulled her across his lap, cradling her in his arms. He started kissing her. Between kisses, he said, "We...can...do...just...one..."

"Yes," she moaned against his mouth. God, she needed this!

"One...a...night," he finished, as his mouth went towards her throat.

"Yes," she said, her head dipping back to give his searching mouth greater access. What a fool she was to ever stop this! "Oh, yes."

"Damn, I missed you," he murmured against her neck, his breath scalding hot against her.

She clutched his head. "I missed you, too."

"Here," he said, putting her aside. He stood up, bent his knees, and then scooped her up into his arms like she weighed nothing, carrying her towards the bedroom.

"Oh, be careful!" she cautioned.

He gave her _the look_.

She smiled sheepishly."Sorry, bad habit!"

She kissed his jaw, his neck, his ear, everything she could reach from her perch in his arms.

He lay her on the bed, and then moved on top of her, looking deep into her eyes. "Do you have any idea how much I want you?"

She grinned saucily. "Pretty much so, yes."

He chuckled, although his eyes were still on fire. "Sweetheart...I _really_ don't think you do."

Kissing her gently, deeply, fiercely, he stroked her body, arousing her passion. Their clothes were quickly dispersed of, and they were straining against one another.

When he went to reach in the bedside table for a condom, she stopped him. She'd been thinking a lot about that, too.

"I'm on the pill, Derek. I know you'd never lie to me. You're clean; I'm clean. You don't have to use one...unless you have a trigger problem," she teased.

He smiled at that, but his eyes were concerned, tender. "Baby, are you sure?"

They made love.

* * *

They were back in their sweats again, in the living room, giving some other positions a try.

"One thing," she said, bending and reaching for her feet while Derek gripped and raised her hips. "This is a good callisthenics workout."

He laughed. "Damn right. I don't think I'll be needing the gym for awhile!"

She was raising one foot, trying to rest it on his shoulder, when he'd said those words. "Don't make me laugh," she chastised, bouncing on her one foot. "I'll lose my balance."

A second later, they ended up in a pile on the floor as both of them collapsed. They were laughing too hard to maintain any pose that took that much work.

She grinned at him. "Maybe we should try something less adventurous for once."

He smiled and cocked his head to the right. "Okay. What do you think?"

"Well, how about the lotus?" she asked, standing up to get a drink from the water bottle on the counter.

"Sounds good."

Moving to a seated position, Derek sat cross legged and then raised his arms for her.

She straddled his waist, and then sat down, wrapping her legs around him. He wrapped his arms around her, and she wrapped her arms around him, holding her close.

They were holding each other so closely that way, they could feel each other's heart beat. There was such an awareness, their faces inches apart, their breaths mingling, their mutual body heat creating a warm, temperate environment.

Penelope closed her eyes, rested her head on his shoulder, and simply breathed. The scent of Derek, the feel of him, and the warmth of his skin, filled her senses, along with the beat of his heart. Hers was close, beating in tandem with his. She felt so secure, so good, so perfect. She'd never had such a peaceful, wonderful feeling in her life.

She opened her eyes and met his, warm, melted chocolate that caressed her more than his fingers ever could. Her breath and her heartbeat quickened, as she realized more than anything, she wanted to kiss Derek—

—and for the first time, it had nothing to do with sex.

His cellphone began to ring, the sound so jarring, it caused her to gasp. He growled deep in his throat.

"Ignore it," he said.

A moment later, it did stop, but then his landline rang. He closed his eyes, sighed, and shook his head, then gave her such an irritated look, she chuckled.

"_Derek? It's Terry_," the soft female voice on his machine began. "_Are you around? Can you get together tonight? I really need to see you. Are you home? Call me._"

She felt him tense and stiffen immeasurably. "Shit." He began to lift her off of him as he began to unfold his limbs. "Baby, I need to get that." He stood and headed to the kitchen.

Stunned and feeling confused, Penelope watched him. Her heart ached, and she fought looking miserable. It didn't matter; he wasn't looking.

"Sure," she said, but it was to his back as he rushed to pick up the phone.

"Terry? Yeah, I'm here. No, it's okay," he said, searching for something. He picked up a paper and pen. "Okay. I got it. I'll meet you there."

He hung up the phone.

She stood and wandered into the kitchen. "Anything I can do?"

"No, sweetheart," he said, smiling at her. "I really have to go."

She nodded, a painful coldness rolling in her stomach. "Fine," she whispered, starting to turn. "I'll get my bag and head home."

"No," he said, holding her hand. "Please. Please don't go. Wait for me here, okay?"

Her heart soared; he wanted her here still. She was very glad for that.

"After all," he said with a grin, "we have a few more positions still to do."

He was obviously trying to lighten the stress of the moment, but it didn't work. As quickly as it had soared, her heart plummeted. She wasn't guarding the hurt look on her face. She couldn't; it wasn't possible. She nodded, but she didn't mean it, and turned to walk away.

"Baby," he said, pulling her into his arms. He put his hand under her chin and made her meet his eyes; his dark, pleading, soft eyes. "Promise me you'll be here when I get back, and then we'll talk."

There was a warmth and a promise in his eyes that was undeniable, and it strengthened her. She smiled back at him. "Hurry home. I'll leave the light on for you."

**For More of this chapter, please see my profile!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_AN: Thanks for the reviews, folks. Sorry so late posting. Been working really late hours..._

Laying in Derek's massive bed without him was a very lonely place. Penelope was wearing one of his plain white t-shirts, because they were so worn and comfortable, and her panties, because her sweatpants would be too warm once she was snuggled up in his comforter. She never packed pajamas anymore. It was a moot point; they never stayed on longer than a minute after she put them on. She'd even stopped packing sexy clothes; he tore those off of her in quick succession.

"Pretty little thing," he'd murmured, holding a scrap of lace that had rent in his hands.

"You know, you could buy stock in Victoria's Secret," she'd quipped. "That way one of us would be getting some money."

He'd been unrepentant, but loved her throughout the night, so she really hadn't complained too loudly.

She'd tossed and turned for about half an hour, before giving in to the fact that she wasn't going to get any sleep. She sat up, turned on the bedside lamp, and decided to look for something to read. Derek had one book on the table. She picked it up, looked at the title, and immediately put it back down.

For some reason, _Firearm Safety_ didn't appeal to her in the slightest bit...

She looked in his den, his family room, everywhere else and found a book about some baseball player that she really didn't care to read, a _Muscle and __Fitness© _magazine, and something about golf. Those didn't interest her, either, but it gave her gift ideas. Especially the golf one. She'd love to see Derek in a pair of those awful plaid golf shorts and an Izod polo shirt! Maybe even a jaunty little chapeau cocked just so on his head...

He'd never wear any of it in a million years, but it would be the thought that counted.

She found a _Men's __Health© _magazine with some quarterback on the cover. There were some interesting looking articles on the front, so she picked it up. Derek had flagged a page; she turned to it out of curiosity...

_Make her climaxes even more intense._

She blushed and shut the magazine. Really, he didn't need any help in that department, although she did think it was sweet that he was doing research! She'd read similar articles in _Cosmo©_ recently!

After searching some more and coming up empty, she thought about traipsing farther down the hall to find a book in the basement or somewhere like that. However, she was kind of cold, her gorgeous human heater was still out with _Terry__—s_he tried _really_ hard not to whine that name!—and she didn't want to drag her sweatpants back on. She climbed back in bed, yawned, and turned the light out, intending on just sleeping.

Ten minutes later, the light went back on.

Sitting up, she opened his bedside drawer. In there was a stash of condoms that would've lasted them for about a week at the rate they were going. Maybe he could donate them to Reid, Rossi, or Hotch? She blushed, thinking about it—what a gift to give!—but she hated to think about them going to waste. She was decidedly frugal about some things, despite her spend-happy image.

Moving those aside, she saw a weird looking, metallic object. It looked like a torture device. On the side, it said it was a nose hair trimmer.

"Ewww!" She giggled, then wondered if he'd look like a walrus if he didn't use it, and was quite grateful Derek was into grooming.

Next to the trimmer was a bottle of generic, non-smelly lotion and a little jar of Carmex lip balm. It was all kind of no-frills, in comparison to her bedside drawer. She had pear lotion and a fancy lip intensity treatment from Paris, France, that had cost her eighty dollars. His beauty routine probably cost sixty cents!

She opened the jar of Carmex and smeared on a little bit. After all, whatever he was doing, it was _working_ for him. No one would ever doubt that the man was mighty fine.

Moving those aside, she noticed a corner that looked like paper in the front of the drawer. She must've missed it when she'd first been rifling though. If she were laying in Derek's spot, instead of leaning over, it would've been the first thing she grabbed. She pulled it out of the drawer and gasped when she saw it.

It was a picture of the two of them together. Not just any picture; one that she'd given him three years ago, just before she was shot. JJ had taken the picture at the annual BAU holiday party. She'd been wearing her hair long and blonde, with bright pink stripes, her red glasses, and a low cut, matching red shirt. He'd been wearing an ordinary shirt and tie, and he looked about three sheets to the wind.

She specifically remembered that party. He _had _indeed been about three sheets to the wind. It had been a blast. They'd been flirting and chatting a lot before that party, but they'd really cemented their friendship about a month before it. He'd flirted like crazy with her there. He'd been single, and she'd been single at the time, too. So, they'd decided to be each other's date for the evening.

God, they'd had such fun. That was why she'd given him the picture, to show him what he was giving up, dating all those other women.

He'd teased, his eyes dark and wicked, and said, "Anytime you want me, sugar, you can have me. Straight up."

Pen made a thoughtful face. At least she'd _thought_ he'd been teasing. Now...she wasn't so sure.

Looking at the picture, at Derek's possessive, albeit drunk, arm around her waist, his hand splayed on her ribs, how close his body was to hers...they looked so happy. Really, really happy.

Like she felt right now.

"Oh, Derek," she whispered, looking at the picture. Truth be told, she hadn't believed him. He'd hit on her like that over and over, and she'd always had some excuse not to dance with him or go out with him. She'd never given him a chance; she'd never seriously thought she'd even _had_ a chance with him.

She let her fingertips touch his face gently, so she didn't leave a mark. There were other fingerprints there, but she noticed that her side of the picture was spotless. Her side looked brand new. She smiled wistfully. He was protecting her, even in a picture. Like he'd always done with her. It made her heart swell even more.

Penelope put the picture back, and put everything in the same order. Then she shut the light off, snuggling with with Derek's pillow, savoring the lingering masculine scent of him still there.

She knew she had a lot to think about.

* * *

Derek came home at around midnight, after piling through some research with Terry. He had to cut his time with her short. He felt terrible about having to do that; Terry's situation wasn't good, and she was in quite a jam. However, he'd planned on spending the entire weekend with Penelope. He would have to make it up to Terry another day.

Understanding and kind woman that she was, Terry had completely understood.

_"I'm sorry, Derek," she said. "I never would've bothered you, but—"_

_"Hey, it's all right. You need a friend, and that's what I'm here for." He glanced at his watch and smiled. It had only been four hours, and yet he couldn't wait to get back to Penelope. "Ah, Terry, I—"_

_"Go! Be with your woman," she said with a laugh, shoving him out the door._

Now, he was home. He smiled when he entered his bedroom. Laying in the middle of his bed, all tousled red curls and sweet rounded curves, was exactly what Terry had said.

His woman.

Seeing a glow in the corner of the room, he looked over and gave a short laugh. There was a little nightlight plugged in and turned on. A nightlight which hadn't existed before he'd left this afternoon. True to her word, Pen had left the light on for him.

_Silly girl_, he thought, shaking his head. Didn't she know? He didn't need any illuminating objects; she was all the light he'd ever need.

P was sound asleep. She was even snoring, clutching his pillow tightly. She looked so damn cute, he hated to wake her.

As quietly as he could, he stripped and moved to the edge of the bed. The minute he put his knee on the mattress, she opened her eyes.

"We need to get one of those memory foam beds," Derek quipped, giving her a rueful smile as he started to lay down. "When I crawl in, I won't wake you up."

"Oh, Derek," she cried, scrambling to her knees, then launching herself at him and knocking him backward into his pillow.

He laughed a little. "Whoa, baby! What—"

He didn't get to answer. She put her hands on his face and began to kiss him, like she was starving for him. He immediately went hard; that seemed to be his natural state around this woman. He kissed her back, each kiss causing her to moan loudly.

She was kissing him with more fervor than she'd ever done before. She clutched at his head, her tongue licking between his lips. She tasted exactly like heaven to him; sweet, warm, slightly minty and delicious. So damned delicious, every inch of her body was a divine treat to him. He could easily get carried away, if he let her keep kissing him like this.

"Bab-y," he said in between kisses, trying to slow things down. He wanted to make it good for her, and slowing things down would accomplish that. "Sweet-heart..."

"I need you," she demanded, crushing her body against his, straining to get even closer. She started kissing his neck as she pressed him even farther back into the pillows and crawled on top of him. "I missed you so much."

"Aw, angel," he murmured.

They made love.

"Sweetheart," he murmured, intending on telling her how wonderful she was, how much he was falling for her, but she interrupted him.

"I love you," she whispered, sounding positively exhausted.

"Penelope," he said, his heart pounding. They'd said it before to each other, but he knew that this time...it was the real deal.

He intended on telling her the same thing. He cupped her face, brushed her hair from her cheeks, but he'd already lost his audience.

She was fast asleep.

**For More of this chapter, please see my profile!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

_AN: Hi everyone! Thanks for the reviews. I am posting a smidgen early because I am snowed in...My state is getting 16 inches of snow. Whew!_

The next morning, Penelope rose quickly, well before Derek, which was usually unheard of. She'd gone to bed well before him, and only woke up to make love to him in the middle of the night. That was exactly what it was. There was no fancy position, no interesting technique. It was just them, joining together, pouring out their love.

She paused for a second.

Well...technically..._she_ poured out her love. Verbally, too, before she passed out. She cursed that _Men's Health_ magazine for giving him advice to give her such a damned powerful orgasm; it knocked her out before she could see and hear his reaction. She worried for a second. Pen was a strict believer in cosmic fate and karma. Were the gods of uncomfortable, _Oh-Shit-What-Did-I-Just-Say? _sexual confessions protecting her from heartache? She didn't think so, but she couldn't be one hundred percent certain.

She put on her sweatpants and toodled into Derek's kitchen, wanting to make coffee, eggs, and toast for breakfast. Whenever she was nervous, she'd eat or cook. In this case, she had to cook, since there was nothing accessible to eat, besides Cheeseburger Doritos, which just didn't sound one iota appealing for breakfast to her.

Derek didn't have much food in his fridge, either. She moved a Ziploc bowl that looked like a science experiment to the left, a black banana—didn't anyone ever tell him not to store bananas in the fridge?—and a very old looking Chinese takeout container.

"Oh, Derek. Ick!" she said, taking the Chinese container out. It was from Wong's Kitchen, and she specifically remembered eating there with him three weeks ago. She tossed it into his trash, before heading back to the fridge. Finding that nothing readily edible was nearby, she started searching rather intently towards the back shelves.

"Eureka!" she crowed, finding eggs. She whipped them in a bowl with some milk and put them in a frying pan. They looked kind of bland, so she was back in search of cheese.

"What is it about BAU employees and empty fridges?" she grumbled, looking at the back of the bottom shelf where something orange that might have been cheese was laying.

"We're never home." She turned to see him walk in the kitchen, with just his sweatpants on. He had an adorable pillow crease on his cheek, and he looked groggy still. "Fresh food spoils."

She nodded, and then went back to digging in the fridge. It was good. It was cooling off her hot cheeks. She hated that she was blushing, but she knew she was. God, why did she have to say something before he did? She was just so moved by that damned picture, and she dreamed of forever with him, and—

"Whatcha looking for?" he asked.

She came up so quickly, she clonked her head on the shelf of the fridge, knocking a carton of orange juice onto the ground. She started rubbing the top of her head, and then bent to pick up the bottle.

"Here," he answered, reaching down and scooping up the bottle before she could do any more damage. She noticed his hands were steady, but hers were shaking. "I got it."

She met his warm eyes, and croaked, "Thanks."

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" he asked, his brow quirking.

"I'm...ah...I'm fine. I just can't...um." She laughed uncomfortably. She could barely form a sentence. She swallowed hard, and then grinned and said, "I just can't find cheese."

He took a step forward, a smirking grin on his face. "My beautiful, intelligent, fantastic goddess can't find the cheese that's in the appropriately named cheese drawer?" he remarked, gently teasing, as he reached over her shoulder and put the orange juice back on the shelf. "That doesn't sound like you."

She turned, and he pulled her in his arms, against his chest. She knew her cheeks were flaming, she was shaking like she was standing on top of an off center washing machine, and her heart was pounding so hard, she was sure he could hear it.

"You're trembling," he murmured, running his hands soothingly down her arms. "Baby Girl, are you okay?"

She tried to talk, but she couldn't. She was looking into his eyes, and she even opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She immediately looked downward, and fought against the tears pricking the back of her eyes and burning her nose. Despite a valiant effort, she failed, and two fat droplets rolled down her cheeks.

He put his fingers under her chin and made her meet his eyes again. They were so soft, warm, gentle...

Just like her best friend's.

That made her feel almost worse, but then she thought she felt mistaken. She didn't think it was possible to feel worse than she did.

"Would it help if I told you I heard what you said?" he asked, his thumbs rubbing the moisture off her cheeks.

She shook her head. She already knew he had.

He leaned forward and brushed both of her cheeks, and then her mouth, with his lips. "How about I tell you that I love you, too? With all my heart and every breath I take."

She felt her face crumple, and she burst into tears, noisy ones. Derek pulled her into his arms, cupping her head against his bare chest, cooing and shushing her, trying to calm her down.

"Baby, are you okay? Sweetheart," he murmured, obviously at a loss for words. "I'm sorry, I—"

"No, silly," she said, sniffling and laughing. "I'm happy. I just... it's just sudden, you know?"

He shook his head and laughed a self-derisive laugh. "No, honey. It's not sudden for me."

"I didn't think so." She blushed sheepishly and said, "I saw the picture in your condom drawer."

"Yeah. It's always nice to have my best girl nearby at all times." He kissed her forehead. "You were the last thing I looked at before going to bed so many nights."

"Aww... that's so sweet. I kind of wondered why you had it there."

After a moment, he began to blush.

She frowned, wondering what the problem was, and then started to giggle and downright hoot as she figured it out. "Derek Morgan, that's...that's...whoa! You kinky devil!"

He flushed even darker. "Umm...ah..."

She was snickering, big time, completely relishing his discomfort. "I always knew men were visual people, but that so totally proves it for me."

He gave her a half grin, one that was admittedly sheepish. "Enjoying every second of this, aren't you?"

She raised her arms around his neck. "Mmm hmm."

He laughed. "Well, I'm glad one of us is!"

She kissed the side of his neck, near his ear, or as close as she could reach. "I think it's kinda sweet...and kinda sexy."

"Really?" he replied, his eyebrows going up. Along with that hint of surprise, his eyes were heating.

She gave him a heated look of her own. "Oh, yes. I may have to watch that sometime, sugar. A little _self-worship _at the chocolate god's temple. It's hot just imagining it."

"Would it help, for imagination purposes," he murmured, leaning down and kissing the side of her neck, "that I always dreamed of your lips? Wet, red, kissing me everywhere, talking to me, so damn dirty."

She gave a throaty chuckle and tipped her head back. "Do tell..."

"And your breasts." He ran his hands up her ribcage slowly, under her t-shirt, cupping and lifting her heavy breasts, brushing his thumbs against the peaks. "I dreamed of these, sucking these, licking these, tonguing these." He stopped his thumb movements, which caused her to open her eyes. "It makes me kind of mad, really."

She frowned at him."Why?"

"I didn't do them justice, angel." He tugged her shirt over her head and stared unabashedly at her breasts. "Not even close."

"Derek," she said, feeling herself getting wet, just from his words and his hot looks sweeping over her.

He pulled her close in his arms, crushing her chest against his. "How about I tell you that when I came, I did it with your name on my lips?" He devoured the side of her neck, and whispered fiercely, "I can tell you that is true."

She shook again, but this time because her knees were weak from arousal. She lifted her arms, reaching for his head, tugging his mouth to hers. She kissed him, one hot, deep kiss, before he tore his mouth away, leaving her panting.

"I want to make love to you again, Penelope. Not because of some fucking position I want to test, or because we're trying to learn something. I want to make love to you because I want _you_." He swept her up in his arms and left the kitchen in massive, ground eating strides.

"Derek!" she cried. "Stop!"

He did and gave her a look, bless him, that wasn't quite patient.

"The eggs are still cooking."

He grinned, turned around with her. When he reached the stove, she reached over and turned off the now very overdone eggs. Then she smiled up at him.

"Now hurry up, handsome," she said. "You have a hot little tech kitten who needs to purr."

And he turned and nearly jogged into the bedroom, still carrying her in his arms.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

_AN: Thanks so much for the reviews. I had a half day at work today, so I am posting early! Enjoy..._

Derek carried her into the bedroom, and then slid her down his body until she was standing in front of him. His expression was so serious, so intense, it made her do the one thing she really didn't want to do.

She giggled.

He frowned at her, confused. "What?"

That only made it worse. She burst out laughing.

"Oh, Hot Stuff! Please. Don't look like that," she gasped, trying to get air while she had a serious laugh attack.

He chuckled in disbelief and looked at her, shaking his head with a lopsided grin. "I'm not even gonna ask."

"I'm.. I'm sorry," she said, and tried to stop laughing. To tell the truth, she was kind of nervous, too. This would be the first time they'd made love after admitting it to each other, and she always laughed when she was uber nervous. "It's just...you looked so serious, and..."

"Hey," he said, looking down his nose in a matter-of-fact way. "I _am_ serious when it comes to you."

She looked away, blushing a little, that nervous feeling coming back. She kicked herself. They'd had sex so many times, so many ways... What made this so different? Why was she making such a big deal out of it this time?

Her attention was fully on him when he touched her again. His eyes warmed gently as he picked up her hand and placed a kiss in her palm. "I'm serious about your beautiful hands, how they touch my body, my heart, my very soul..."

Her heart began to beat a little stronger and a little faster, as he kissed the inside of her elbow.

"And your arms," he continued, his breath warm against her sensitive skin. "I'm so serious about how they can hold me, taking away the worst part of every day without a second's hesitation, and giving me the best parts in return."

She gasped as his tongue laved the spot. "Th-that's how I feel about yours."

He looked up, smiled at her, and then kissed her forehead. "Oh, of course, there's that brilliant mind I am so crazy serious about. The smartest, sexiest goddess that ever existed."

Sighing, she tilted her chin for his kiss, but he surprised her by lowering himself to his knees. He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his cheek against her tummy. "I am even serious about your sweet belly, honey," he added, his lips moving against her abdomen, before looking up at her in utter adoration.

"Oh, please," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. There was no way he could be crazy about her anti-washboard abs!

"It's true," he murmured. "The belly laughs we've had together over the years, the softness cushioning me when we make love... and someday, maybe, if I'm so blessed..."

Penelope almost swayed with the magnitude of what he was implicating. What he was talking about...whoa. What he was talking about was _forever_. She closed her eyes, pictured his baby someday, and felt her heart soar.

"I'm never going to stop loving you, Penelope," he whispered fiercely, running his hands up her calves. "I've tried in the past, when I thought there was no chance for me, and it always comes back to this..."

She looked down and met his soulful eyes, her heart in her throat, unable to respond.

"You're my God given solace, my Baby Girl, my goddess. The only one I need in my life to be complete." His position at her feet, giving himself to her totally, looking up at her with such love, admiration, and passion, added so much sincerity to what he was saying.

"Derek," she breathed, tears streaming down her face. "I love you, too."

They made love.

**For More of this chapter, please see my profile!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

_AN: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Thought I would quick get this out there before the show tonight...I am worried about Derek; the previews look so sad! Hopefully Penelope can make it all better..._

Later that morning, Penelope was happy and satisfied. She was finding that was her natural state around Derek: to be completely fulfilled in every single way. She couldn't imagine loving him any more than she did at that moment. Like a pampered cat, she stretched, and then leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"Good morning, my love."

With a semi-lascivious grin, he swooped her under him in one quick movement and started kissing her throat. "I'll show you a good morning..."

"No, no," she said with a giggle, pushing him away while he tried to kiss her lips.

He was puckering at her, being rather silly, as he said, "Yes, yes..."

Despite her usual willingness to go along with his ardent behavior, she told him, "Just a moment, D. We need to talk."

With a pensive pout, he rolled onto his back, and then to his side. "Alrighty then, sweetheart. What's up?"

Now that she had his full attention, she was a bit nervous. She didn't want to pry, but she couldn't help it. Curiosity killed the cat, and Rossi did call her Kitten, after all...

"I want to know about Terry," she began cautiously, and then decided to blurt it all out. "What is wrong with her that you keep having to run to her side?"

He gave her an odd look, between a smile and a frown, with crinkled eyebrows and a half-smile. "Baby, you aren't jealous of Terry, are you? Cause there ain't no reason to be."

"I know," she said, and then sighed. "Actually, I was, for awhile, but then... well, I just knew."

He looked much more satisfied and relieved.

"Good," he stated, and then kissed the top of her head, before moving to his back.

She got comfortable on the pillow next to him. "Morgan?"

"What?" he asked, rolling over to look at her.

"I still wanna know," she replied.

He raised himself up on his elbow. "Terry is a good friend. Like I said, she was the statistician on our team. She dated Lenny, who was a teammate of mine and a friend." His smile faded. "We grew up together."

"You never mention him," she said. Derek had mentioned other people he'd played ball with back in the day, but he'd never mentioned Lenny.

"Lenny was my friend in the neighborhood growing up. He went to the youth center, too. Two years behind me." He couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes, or the look of regret he had, when he added, "Lenny was the star player after I left."

Penelope felt her heart ache. From her experience with Derek, she knew that Carl Buford, the man who had molested him, usually picked the star player. He didn't have to say that Lenny went through some of the same things Derek did. He didn't need to; she could tell. She knew Derek must've felt responsible somewhat for Lenny, too. That was just the way he was—he took the weight of the world on his shoulders.

She wasn't going to be judgmental. Pen just listened and nodded. "Go on."

"Lenny had troubles-I didn't figure out exactly _why_ until much later. Still, he was like a younger brother. We went to the same school. He he was aggressive on the field, which made him an awesome player. He drank too much and was aggressive off the field, too, but not in a positive way." Derek sighed, shifting uncomfortably, like what was happening still pained him.

"Derek," she said cautiously. "People make decisions. You weren't like that."

"I know," he answered swiftly. "I tried to help him, but no matter what I did, he still got into fights, got arrested for petty crap. But he sure was in love with Terry."

"Did Terry know about the other stuff?"

He nodded. "Terry loved him anyway. She married him. Wanted to change him, all that."

Pen swallowed hard. This was starting to look bad.

"One night, Lenny drank, and I think he did some other drugs...a lot more than just alcohol, I don't know. He was as strong as a bull, I..." He shook his head and took a deep breath.

"Go on."

"He used Terry as a punching bag that night. Her four year old called me by pure chance. I stepped in, fighting him long enough so that she could get herself and their two kids out. Lenny got mad at me and pulled a knife," he said, detached and matter of fact. "I was Chicago PD at the time; I called for back up, and he was arrested. He tried to deny it—said it was just us fighting—but the cop that came to the scene knew me, and knew it wasn't that way."

He looked at her with the saddest expression. "It was one of the worst moments of my life. A friend who needed me, one who was in pain...and I had to betray him."

"Oh, cupcake," she said, her heart breaking. "It's not your fault."

He smiled at her. "It's okay, honey. It was a long time ago. Twelve years. He was locked up for assaulting an officer. He had five years, but broke his parole twice with drugs and got more time. Terry got full custody of the kids, and he had no rights at all. He kept calling Terry, threatening her."

"God, Hot Stuff."

"That's where I come in," he said, shrugging. "Terry moved from Chicago to Virginia with a job transfer. She has no one else here, and Lenny is set to be released. She is scared to death."

"Well, she has me now, too," Pen said, fiercely. "I'll wipe his butt off the grid if he tries anything."

Derek laughed, and then kissed her lips. "That, Baby Girl, is why I love my favorite part of you."

She gave him a half-smile of confusion. "I never did guess what that was. Tell me."

"Silly girl. It's your heart." He leaned down and kissed the center of her chest.

Penelope's eyes misted with tears. He'd said that while she thought they were _only having sex_. She sniffled and laughed; like they could ever have anything so simple! "Sometimes, you amaze me."

"Naw," he said, laying back and putting his arm out for her. "You're the amazing one, sugar."

She rested her head resting on his right bicep, quiet for awhile. She was looking at his tummy, the beautiful muscles there. She played, tracing the lines, and then dipping her fingertip into the little divot of his navel. He surprised her by giggling a little, a very un-Morganish sound, so she did it again, getting the same result. With gusto, she swirled her finger in that dip; he jolted and gave a rather high pitched (Tenor instead of his usual bass!) giggle this time.

"Stop that," he said, clasping his hand on hers.

"Is your tummy ticklish?" she asked, giggling herself. This was delicious knowledge! "It is! Little Derek's tummy tum is ticklish!"

"It is not—ooh! Ha ha, stop... oh," he said, gripping her wrist. "That's it, woman...you're toast."

A quick move had her on her back while he began to move, tickling all over her with hands like an octopus. She couldn't find where one started and one began! She reached down, over, anywhere, trying so hard to stop him.

"Stop! Ooh! Derek!" she gasped, trying hard to catch her breath. "I'll behave... I promise. Ooh!"

He stopped, his hand poised above the very ticklish spot on her neck. "You serious?"

She nodded solemnly.

"Okay," he said, sliding off of his position straddling her. He lay back down and cautiously put his arm back out.

Penelope took her spot... and immediately started tickling his tummy again.

"You little shi—oh, ha ha!... That's it!" he said, moving over her again, his body pinning hers to the mattress. One hand pinned her wrists above her head, while the other was digging in a drawer. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to use these..."

She felt the cold metal of the handcuff slap around her wrist, followed by a slap on the wrought iron headboard.

"You...you wouldn't dare!" she growled, tugging her wrist and flailing her legs.

He smirked at her as he slapped a handcuff on the other wrist. "Oh, I wouldn't?"

She started to panic. "Derek! Let me go! Damn it!"

"Nope."

She gasped in outrage. "You...you...creep!"

He slid down her body like the snake that he was, and gripped her ankles in both of her hands. "Now, now. Be nice."

"Derek!"

He looked up at her, his eyes hot, but reassuring and tender. "Sweetheart, I'll let you go if you really want me to." He leaned down and gave a hot kiss to her ankle, the little bone above her instep, and then looked back at her. "Is that what you really want?"

Penelope thought about poor Terry and the experience she'd gone through. She would never have that sort of situation with Derek. She loved him just the way he was, and she trusted him, too. With all her heart.

She smiled wickedly down at him and said, "You better make this worth my time, mister."

He ran his hands up her calves, past her knees, up to her inner thighs ever so slowly. "Oh, believe me, Baby Girl...it'll be worth every second."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

_AN:Thanks for the reviews! Putting this out early, because I am probably going to be heading in to work the overnight shift tonight..._

"Derek Morgan, you are one kinky son of a gun," she said with a giggle as he began kissing his way up her leg. She had no qualms with what he was doing. Oh, hell, no. She wasn't stupid. If Derek wanted to give her pleasure and she got to lie there without doing a dang thing, more power to her.

He looked up as he arrived at her inner thigh, and gave her a sleepy, bedroom eyed look.

"Yes...I am," he answered with honesty..

They made love.

**For More of this chapter, please see my profile!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

_AN: Thanks for the reviews, guys. I am getting hit with another eight inches of snow today...Hoping I get snowed in, then I can work on my newest story (Gotta think positive!)..._

Later that day, Derek and Pen finally had a meal together. Afterward, Penelope offered to clean up while Derek went out for a jog.

At first, he looked appalled by that idea. "No, baby, I—"

"D, I don't mind," she said, picking up the plates.

"Woman, you don't need to be a cook and clean for me. I love you for a million other reasons, and—"

She gave him a look that silenced him immediately. "Derek. I do not think I'm only good in the kitchen and the bedroom. Go run. Please. Get your fitness loving, cute caboose out the door."

Two seconds later, he was dressed in track pants and stretching his quads, with a huge, thankful grin on his face.

"Baby, you're the best," he said, giving her a quick kiss.

She sighed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I am."

He grinned, slapped her butt soundly, and ran out the door.

Just as she put the last of the plates in the dishwasher, the telephone rang. She glanced at it cautiously, wondering if she should answer it. It wasn't her house, after all, and she felt she'd already taken a lot of liberties rifling through D's stuff.

Curious as always, she looked closer, and saw the name on the caller ID.

_Johnston, Terry_

Knowing now what Terry had been through, how much she needed a friend, she couldn't help but answer the phone. It could have been an emergency. What if Lenny had been released and was there? Derek would never forgive himself if he'd missed that call.

Picking up the phone, she clicked the talk button. "Hello?"

"Ah...ummm...Is Derek Morgan there?" a hesitant female voice began, the same unsure voice that Penelope knew was Terry. She'd sounded the same way on Derek's machine when they were practicing positions.

"I'm sorry, he's out jogging. I'm his—" it still felt somewhat odd to say it! "—girlfriend, Penelope. Can I help you?"

"No, no," the woman said, still sounding hesitant."Can you...um...tell Derek that Terry called?"

Penelope was still in awe at how nervous and upset this woman sounded. She sounded meek, like a little bird that hadn't even started flying yet. She sounded like she had no courage, no self-esteem. It pained Pen to think of her cowering from a drunk and being beaten by Lenny.

Her voice was reassuring and gentle as she answered, "I promise, Terry. Derek will get your message."

"Thank you," she said softly, and hung up.

* * *

When Derek jogged back in the house, he was pouring with sweat, but absolutely glowing with happiness. Pen shook her head; she couldn't quite understand how anyone would love exercise that much. She did it, but because she _had_ to, not because she _liked_ to.

He made it into the kitchen where Penelope was sitting, working on her laptop. He leaned down, kissed her with his sweat-coated lips, and then chugged down a glass of water she had sitting on the table.

"That," he said, wiping his face with a towel and then pointing outside, "is a beautiful day. Nothing I can think of better than to spend it outside with my Baby Girl."

"That sounds wonderful," she said, standing up and wrapping her arms around him. "By the way, Terry called while you were out."

Derek's smile fell, and he slapped his forehead. "Damn. I totally forgot. I promised I'd take Terry and her kids to the park."

"That's okay, Sweet Cheeks," she said, reaching her hands up to pat those sweet cheeks of his. "I can stay here, or head home and do some laundry."

"Oh, hell, no," he retorted, leaning back to look at her with a frown. "I don't want you out of my sight, woman."

"What?" she questioned teasingly, but internally glowing like he was.

"You are coming with us, no arguments," he commanded in his usual domineering way.

"You could ___ask_, you know," she said archly, in a teasing fashion, turning away from him with her arms crossed over her chest.

He turned her in his arms, and grinned at her. "Oh, my sweet goddess, will you grace us with your presence, please?"

"It would be my pleasure," she replied, and then stepped behind him to head back to her seat, spanking his other ___sweet cheeks _in the process. "Now, hop your sweaty self in the shower, mere mortal."

"Uh uh," he said, looping his hand on her wrist, to halt her sitting. "I'm not going in without you. I need you to wash my back...and other parts..."

"But I'm not the stinky, sweaty person here," she complained halfheartedly.

With a tug, he pulled her into his chest, and then wrapped his arms around her, thoroughly coating her with his perspiration in spite of her protests. "There. Now we match."

"Derek Morgan, I was already dressed!" she cried with a pout.

He scooped her up in his arms with a completely winning, teasing grin that she couldn't argue with. "Come on, stinky. Time for your shower."

* * *

Terry was a diminutive woman, with thick, chestnut brown hair and sad gray eyes. She had two beautiful children—Alyce, a sixteen year old, and David, fourteen. Derek had told Penelope vital statistics on the family before they arrived. Looking at the the kids, they both had their mother's stature; otherwise, Lenny was a tiny man. She didn't think he was, since Derek had said he a hard time holding him off, and she knew first hand how strong Derek was, so the first was far more likely. They were standing next to a minivan, when she and Derek pulled into the park.

"Terry," Derek said as they walked over to her. He looped an arm around Penelope's waist possessively. "This is my girlfriend, Penelope."

Terry smiled shyly at Pen and extended her small hand. "Pleased to meet you. My children, Alyce and David."

David shook her hand immediately with a big smile on his face; however, Alyce made no attempt to come near her. Pen smiled at the girl, but she only frowned back.

"Hey, girl," Derek said, turning his attention to Alyce, and she came running to him, giving him a big hug.

"Oh, Derek!" she cried happily, her arms wrapped around D's middle.

He patted her back and gave her a hug back.

"You shoot hoops?" David asked, spinning the ball on his finger for about a second, before it fell off. He colored immediately red and went to chase the ball. He picked up the ball, and pushed his shaggy, _Justin Bieber-like_ hair behind his ears.

"Poor kid," Penelope thought sympathetically. It was obvious he was trying very hard to be...um..._Derek Morgan suave_...and failing miserably.

"I play a mean horse," Pen answered enthusiastically for the young man's benefit, which earned her a beaming grin from David.

"Oh, no," Derek said, tugging the ball away from the younger male and spinning it on his finger like it was something he did daily. "First, you two do two on one with me, and then maybe, _just maybe_, you might be worthy of some horse with my girl."

"You're on, old man!" David said, knocking the ball off Derek's finger before running to the court.

"You're not old, Derek," Alyce said sympathetically, and then shrugged, like she was correcting herself. "Not _really_ old, anyway."

"Oh, you two are dead meat," he said, taking off towards the court. He scooped up the ball where it had rolled on the field, and tossed it at David.

"He's a really good guy," Terry said, smiling at Penelope. "You're very lucky."

Pen nodded in agreement. "Yes, I am."

Terry began walking towards a bench, with Penelope following. Both women sat on the bench and crossed their legs. "Derek has told me a lot about you. He really loves you."

"Thank you," she said, and Penelope knew she beamed in surprised pleasure. Yet again, her Hot Stuff was proclaiming his love for her a long time before she ever knew it. She wondered how many other people knew before her own blind ass saw it?

The smile faltered on Pen's face for a moment when she thought about how to talk about Terry's past. She couldn't exactly say Derek told her a lot about her. It would probably be uncomfortable for Terry if she knew he told her about Lenny. Pen had counseled victim's families; she didn't think this was that much different, but she also didn't want to overstep her bounds.

So, she did the one thing that was the most uncomfortable for her. She remained quiet.

She looked over at Derek and the kids playing. He was holding the ball above their heads, which wasn't very nice, since he was like LeBron James in comparison to the tiny Johnstons. She could tell Derek was eating it up, as were the children, and both Terry and Pen were pleased.

"Derek has told you about my ex?" Terry asked cautiously, not removing her gaze from the court.

"Yes, he did," Pen answered, relieved that it was out in the open. "I'm sorry."

She turned then, smiling at Penelope, her earnest eyes sincere. "No, I'm the one who is sorry for interrupting your dates. I feel terrible about that. I'm hardly worth all the fuss. I promise, once the security system Derek is installing is in, I won't bother—"

"Terry," Pen said, halting the other woman. "Derek isn't just my boyfriend; he's my best friend, and he's my colleague, too. If you had a problem and Derek needed our help, he'd have the support of our _entire team _behind him. That goes triple for me."

The other woman just blinked at her, obviously flabbergasted. "Oh, I'm...I don't know what to say. Lenny made it..." She shook her head and sniffled. "Not many people stuck around after..."

Pen smiled warmly, reassuringly. "I'm on your side, too. You're not alone anymore. In fact, when that system is in, I will main link it to our computers, so if anything happens out there, a break in, a fire, we'll get alerted, too."

"Oh, thank you," Terry whispered, tears rolling down her face in pure awestruck gratitude, like she wasn't used to kindness.

"Not only that," Pen schemed, smiling wickedly, "with a little research, I will find out what frequency Lenny's radio arrest bracelet is on, and match it to the frequency of your home and neighborhood. If he comes within a mile, we'll know. If he come within five hundred feet, like your restraining order says, his parole officer will get a nice call ASAP, courtesy of my auto dial on my computer, along with local police."

Terry shook her head, smiling through her tears. "That's unbelievable."

Pen blew on her nails and buffed them against her shirt. "All in a day's work for a miracle worker."

"Thanks, again. I...I don't know how to ever repay you," she whispered.

Pen watched as the other woman looked down at her hands folded in her lap. It was obvious that she was beyond humbled. That broke Penelope's heart. This woman had been beaten down enough; she didn't need to feel humbled or beat down like that ever again.

"You don't have to; that's what friends are for." Pen slipped her hand in Terry's and squeezed tightly. "I'm your friend, Terry. You're not alone like you were in Chicago. Not anymore. It's time to grow strong again, and take back your life."

Terry sat quietly, not saying a word. She just held Penelope's hand, and the warmth reverberated between the two women.

They sat together, watching the kids, and the man Penelope loved with all her heart, playing ball.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

_AN: Wheeeeee! This is a fun chapter. I was going to post in the morning, but I don't think I am going to have time to post two...My next update is going to be on the 24__th, __if I can get to a computer, or the 26th if I can't...Happy Holidays!..._

They spent the entire day playing in the park with Terry and her family. It was a lot of fun; Terry brought a picnic lunch, which was tasty and good, and then they had an impromptu game of kickball with some neighborhood kids that came by.

One of the boys happened to be the same age as Alyce and was very sweet and flirty with her. Being too cool to be at a park, he said he was there because he had to watch his younger cousins, but he was having just as much fun playing kickball as everyone else. He was also very handsome, with bushy dark hair that seriously needed a trim and pants that needed to be pulled up and belted.

In other words, he was highly fashion forward.

Alyce didn't give him much encouragment. She blushed and kept her head down, but kept giving the boy sidelong glances. With her glasses and her shyness, she reminded Penelope of a couple of friends she'd grown up with. Pen never had that shyness problem; she was always extroverted and outgoing, in your face, fierce on the outside, even when she didn't feel like it on the inside.

She sat next to Alyce and whispered, "That boy, Brian? The cute one?"

Alyce looked up at her with a petulant pout. "What about him?"

Pen smiled slyly at her and bumped her conspiratorially with her elbow. "I think he likes you."

The teen's eyes widened behind her glasses. "Really?"

"Mmm hmm. And if you smile back at him with that pretty smile of yours, he may even tell you himself," Pen said with a wiggle of her brows. She held up two fingers. "I swear."

Alyce looked hopeful, but it faded quickly. "No, he won't."

Pen frowned. "Why would you say that?"

"I'm not like you." She looked down. "I wish I was."

"You don't need to be."

Alyce rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Pen sighed. "I used to want to be like anyone _but_ me; the chubby girl with glasses and a nerdy fascination with computers."

"But you're beautiful," Alyce said, surprised. Then she frowned and looked down again. "Derek thinks so, too."

"You, _ma cherie_," she said, tapping Alyce's nose, bestowing a big grin on the little girl, "are good for my ego. But…I digress. Truth be told, I never believed that. Not for many years."

The teen looked at her, curious again.

"Then I found if I was happy with my own style, not trying to be like Debbie Gibson—"

"Who?" Alyce asked, totally confused.

"The _Hannah Montana _of my time," she answered.

Alyce grinned in understanding. "I'd rather be like Lady Gaga..."

"Wouldn't we all?" Pen breathed dreamily, winking at Alyce. "Anyway, bottom line: I was happy, I found people liked me more, and more importantly, I liked me more."

Alyce thought for a moment, and then smiled at her, giving her a sidelong glance. "You know...You're not so bad after all."

"Thanks!" Pen said, considering it a huge compliment from a sixteen year old. "Go play...and _smile_."

She stood and left, and surprisingly did smile, which got the handsome Brian to throw the ball to her.

Pen knew she hadn't solved much of anything, but at least she'd made the girl smile for the day. She was feeling peachy keen for a job well done, when Derek came over and sat on the ground next to her.

"Hey," he said, stretching out his leg. She knew his right knee bugged him every once in a while.

"Hey yourself, handsome," she said, smiling. She pointed over to Alyce and Brian and said, "Upset you lost your spotlight?"

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

"D, that little girl had a huge crush on you the size of Canada. Couldn't you tell?"

Judging from the way he blushed, Pen knew he hadn't had a clue. She almost laughed; he hadn't had a clue she had a crush on him, either! Apparently, Derek really didn't know his droolable factor, no matter how arrogant he thought he was.

"Well, the only person I have a crush on is you, amazing woman that you are," he said, leaning closer, kissing her softly. "Thanks for helping with Terry, Baby Girl."

"Anytime." She smiled, feeling contented and so happy, and then stood. "Race you to the monkey bars!"

She could hear Derek laughing behind her.

* * *

The sun was setting on the beautiful fall day. The air was crisp, but the sun was warm, and the smell of fallen leaves, still fresh and woodsy, filled the air. Pen was sitting on a swing, dangling her feet, while Derek pushed her. Terry and family had gone home, but she and Derek had remained.

"Still having fun?" he asked, giving her a little push.

"Yep," she answered. "But I got a boo boo." She'd climbed up on so much equipment, she had a blister on her palm.

"Let me see," he said, holding her hand, concern on his face.

"It's a stupid blister, Hot Stuff."

He looked carefully, and then lifted her hand to his mouth. "My poor Baby Girl."

She stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's fine, cupcake."

"Not to me," he whispered, his arms holding her tightly. His eyes began to heat to a dark, decadent chocolate color. "I always want you to have pleasure, not pain." He lowered his head and began to kiss her.

Pen nearly cried, _Hallelujah!_ All day, he'd given her little kisses, brief brushes of his lips, teasing touches of his tongue when no one was looking, along with longing looks. She'd wanted so badly to crush herself to him, but hadn't, because of the under age audience they'd had.

Now, however, the park was deserted, the shadows were growing, and the streetlights had just flickered alive. It was only Derek and herself, and she was going to make the most of it.

Arching against him, she opened her mouth, allowing the deeper penetration of his tongue. She moaned, stroking her tongue against his, her body becoming awash in pure sensation. She was greedy, sucking at his tongue, drinking from him. She'd missed his flavor, the essence of Derek that she craved always, but even more when she was in physical contact with him.

Derek felt the same way. He cupped her bottom in his hands, lifting her close, grinding her against him. He angled his mouth on hers, fusing them together, and then moving again, catching her from every angle. He explored every way to kiss her; lightly and softly, playing with her lips, capturing the bottom one with his teeth, and then deeply and hungrily, like he was starving and she was his only sustenance.

Derek started thinking about getting them home and in bed, or any horizontal surface at that point! He began to pull away, but she clamped her hands on his ass, squeezing tight, keeping him close to her. He smiled at her eagerness and lifted his mouth.

She nipped at his lip gently and tugged him closer, her hands grasping at his head. The near aggression, passionate need surprised him…and turned him on. He thrust his fingers into her hair, tugging it slightly, and ravaged her mouth, drawing her potent lust, her energy into him.

When he ripped his mouth away, she whimpered and sagged against him in protest.

"Baby, we need to get somewhere more private than this, or I swear, I am going to take you standing right here."

She looked up at him with passion glazed eyes. "Then let's hurry."

* * *

Holding Penelope's hand, he ran with her towards the SUV. It was quite the distance—across three baseball diamonds. Derek was really moving fast; he was dragging her in his wake, and she was trying her damnedest to keep up.

At the second diamond, he stopped to a dead halt in front of a set of bleachers.

"Climb on," he said, turning away from her, pointing over his shoulder.

She climbed up on the bottom row and then onto Derek's proffered back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She kissed his ear and said, "All set."

With a quick bounce, he moved her up a few more inches, locked his elbows behind her knees, and took off like a bat out of hell. He could feel her jostling from the movement, heard her stifling a giggle.

When they reached the SUV, Derek squatted down, and she slid off his back.

"Thank you," she said.

"That's not a proper way to say you're grateful," he said, yanking her in his arms, and then pressing her against the side of the truck.

"I think I can guess the proper way," she murmured, looking up at him through heavily lidded eyes and thick lashes. She slid her hands on his chest, getting handfuls of fabric, and pulled him forward, locking her lips on his.

Derek moved his knee between hers, his thigh pressing against her mound. He felt the intense heat between her legs, the warmth, and he groaned. The pressure of his erection was painful. He ground the ridge against her hip, seeking some relief and finding none.

He had to have her. It was that simple. His hands itched with the need to feel her silky skin, his ears needed to hear her breaths and sighs as he plunged in her… his mouth, although pleased with drinking from her lips, longed to drink from her sweet wetness below. It was an all over craving that was near obsession. He was never going to get enough of her.

They kissed, more and more, until the kisses turned deeper, more aggressive. She was nearly whimpering, moving herself against his thigh, obviously in as much need as he was.

The sky was darkening quickly, and a rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

"We're going to get rained on," she murmured, sounding like it was a definite thing.

He chucked, knowing it was a hopeless cause, trying to tamp down that feeling. "We're never going to make it home at this rate, are we?"

She put her head against his chest and sighed, shaking her head. "We can't do it here. We'll get arrested."

He gave a short bark of laughter. "Imagine if Rossi found that out. We'd never hear the end of it!"

She didn't laugh; instead, she looked up at him with the saddest eyes he'd ever seen.

He cupped her cheek, running his thumb along her lower lip while he thought for a moment. Then he shot her a half grin as the answer came to him. "Climb on in."

Derek opened the back door of the SUV and gave her a cajoling look. He watched as she hesitated for a moment. He knew this really was risky, and a part of him felt like he was a teenager again. He weighed the options. The windows were darkly tinted, and as the sun set, it was now very dark. The only lights were in the corners of the parking lot.

After another moment's thought, she gave Derek an innocent look, reached under her skirt, and slid her panties down her legs. She scooped them off the ground, and then turned and climbed into the back seat.

"Oh, hell, yes," he murmured, and climbed in after her.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

_AN: Hey everyone! Didn't want to keep you waiting for the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews: I promise to answer ASAP...Will be posting sometime after 12/26...Happy Holidays!...Whew, I was in a mood when I wrote this one! Heed the warning..._

Derek trailed Penelope into the SUV then sat on the bench seat beside her. She smiled at him, her hands in her lap in a rather demure fashion. It made Derek smile. The way she was sitting, she looked so damned innocent; anyone looking at her would have no idea she wasn't wearing her panties.

She gave him a shy grin, and kind of twiddled her thumbs in nervousness.

"What's the matter, baby?" he asked.

"Contrary to popular belief, my wild and wanton reputation," she teased, "I don't have much experience making out in the backseat of a car."

Despite the nervous look on her face, her eyes were still very hot and her nipples were quite obviously pebbled beneath her shirt.

Playing it cool, he looked at his nails and said,"Well, if you'd rather wait until-"

They made love.

* * *

Derek's dark chuckle and Penelope's giggle rang out through the foyer as they reentered the house- disheveled, happy, and carrying bags of fast food.

Penelope made a slurping sound with her malt she was drinking, then said, "Race you upstairs!"

Derek had been taking off his shoe when she announced that. He whipped the other shoe off, then followed quickly, slipping on the bottom stair and nearly falling. He was still quicker and almost passed her. In a desperate lunge, he caught her ankle like a defensive lineman would a quarterback.

She tried to shake off his tenacious hold.

Grinning, he leaned forward some more and kissed her ankle.

She gasped. "No fair!"

He reached the other ankle and ran both of his hands up her legs. "No one said I had to play fair."

She giggled again. "Well, I'm saying it. Besides," she sighed. "It's getting late… I should head home."

"No, stay," he said, kissing the side of her knee.

She arched an eyebrow at him sardonically. "Haven't you had enough?"

"Of you?" he replied, returning the arched brow look. "Never."

She groaned and shivered when he kissed a particularily sensitive spot. "D...I have to go home."

"Woman, this is your home," he said, dragging himself to his feet.

Giving him a sidelong glance, she retorted, "No, honey, it's not."

He looked indignant. "Yes, it is. What's mine is yours."

"No," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I spend enough time here as is, but it isn't."

"Well, it should be."

The way he said it gave Penelope pause. It was a joking, silly sort of statement in her mind. How Derek said it, however, with an air of strict seriousness, did not sound at all teasing.

She gave him a look. "D, are you serious?"

"You should know I am," he replied, holding her hands. "Anything of mine you want, you can have, Baby Girl. That was before we started dating, and hasn't ever changed."

Penelope smiled. That was a sweet thing to say. It was still rather hard to comprehend every thing that was happening in their relationship. It seemed fast to her, but it definitely seemed right, too.

"Thanks, angelfish," she said, touching his cheek. "I appreciate it, and everything that is mine is yours, too. But I still have to go home and do some laundry."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do," she said, shaking her head. "I have no clean clothes, and the underwire from this bra poked-"

"No, you need to do laundry," he said with a smile that caused the little crinkles by his eyes to pop out. "But you don't need to go home. I don't want you to go home, at least not to _that_ home. Never again. I want you to stay here, with me, come home, with me-" he smiled softly, cupping her face in his hands – "just simply be with me."

"Now?" she asked, confused.

"Now...later...always." He smiled at her. "Twenty-four, seven."

Her heart started pounding, as realization dawned in. Was he suggesting they become roommates? A thrill starting in her belly raced up her spine and coursed over the rest of her body. She tilted her head to the left and narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying you want me to move in with you?"

"No, sweetheart," he said, then dropped his hands and sighed. "I mean, yes, but no, too."

"That's clear as mud," she said with a slight frown. "So you want me to move in, but you don't want me to."

"Penelope, I don't want you to just move in," he said with a smile. "I want to marry you. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together."

Her mouth fell open. She wasn't expecting that, not in the slightest. "Holy crap!"

She didn't realize she'd said that out loud until he started laughing.

"Holy crap is right," he said, still smiling. "I feel the same thing. It's quick, it's intense, it's amazing…but it is so right. Penelope, I know it is right. You do, too."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. She was glad, she couldn't have answered if her life depended on it.

"This isn't exactly how I wanted to do it. I wanted to be on my knee with a sparkling diamond, but my heart is telling me to do this now." He held her hand, then put it in the middle of the strong plane of his chest, where she could feel his heart beating fast and hard. "After six years, it is telling me to never let you go again."

She snickered a little through teary eyes, and teased, "What took it so long to tell you?"

"Oh, it told me before," he said seriously. "So many times, but I didn't listen. I was too damn stupid and stubborn to listen before."

Her eyes widened as he dropped to his knee and held her hand.

"I'm listening now. Baby, will you marry me?"

_AN2: And one minor cliffhanger for the road! Tee hee!_

**For More of this chapter, please see my profile!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

_AN: Thanks for the reviews, everyone. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Posting a little bit slower because I am out of state...Ps. Curious abou the cost of the ring? $10,400..._

Penelope let all of the air she had in her lungs out with a massive _whoosh_. She didn't realize until that moment she was even holding her breath. She chalked it up to being completely surprised and overwhelmed.

Derek had just asked her to marry him. She thought of how quickly time passed. It seemed like days ago he'd run into her at the bookstore, carrying the now well read sex book, and paid for half of it. It seemed like yesterday they'd first made love, declared their love, knew what love was really all about.

Then she thought even more...

To tell the truth, it seemed like yesterday, not nearly seven years ago, that Derek had called her Baby Girl for the first time. Could nearly four years have passed since he'd first said he loved her, and she'd said she'd loved him in return? Could months have passed since they were in Alaska, and he'd made her feel whole, complete, ready to tackle the world again—just from being in his arms?

It didn't feel like that much time had passed. Time always flew when she was with Derek.

Her heart panged softly in her chest, and she began to smile wistfully. Each moment she'd had with him—the good, the bad, the mundane—flew by, because she'd always loved being with him. He'd been her best friend for much longer than her lover, and he'd been important in her life even longer than that.

Did it really matter that his proposal was quick in timing, that they hadn't even been going out for two months?

She smiled even more at that thought. Yes...It mattered a great deal.

It showed that Derek was sure of himself, sure in his love. He was obviously done waiting. She could see it in the warm, sweet chocolate eyes looking up at her, at the handsome, very hopeful face smiling back.

And in her heart and soul, she knew deep down...she was done waiting, too.

"Yes, sweetheart," she said, cupping his cheek in her hand. "I will marry you."

Derek rose quickly to his feet with a whoop of happiness, and then wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off her feet. He spun around quickly with her.

She closed her eyes to avoid becoming dizzy, and giggled. "Derek, put me down."

He lowered her to her feet, and then caressed her face, brushing her hair away where it lay on her cheeks.

"God, I love you," he whispered softly, the warmth in his eyes flooding her with feeling.

"I love you, too," she whispered back, her fingertips finding his high cheekbones, the scruffy shadow of a beard on his jaw.

Derek enfolded her in his arms, so tightly it felt as if she could become part of him. It was like he was sheltering her in his embrace, drawing her deeper into himself, into his soul. He raised her hand, opening her fingers and kissing her palm.

"How did I ever get so lucky?" he murmured, the vibration of his words causing shivers to run past her wrist, to her elbow.

She grinned against his chest, and murmured back, "Rabbit's feet?" She felt the shake of his slight chuckle, so she continued. "No, that's too morbid. Field of four leaf clovers?"

"I grew up in the Chicago projects; not much greenery there," he said, rubbing her back with his hands. He kissed the top of her head, and said, "Must be something different."

She squeezed him tighter. "Lucky horseshoe?"

"Not in Chicago, either."

She gave an exaggerated sigh. "I don't have a guess what it is."

"Lucky star," he answered, putting his fingertips under her chin to tilt her face up to his. "The same one that looks down on you."

A slow smile crept over her lips. "I like that. I like to think we've always had that connection."

"We have," he said, threading his fingers in her hair. "Don't ever doubt it, baby."

He lowered his head as she slid her arms up his back, clamping herself closer to him. His mouth descended on hers, soft, sweet, inviting, and the pure magic that happened every time they kissed started again. His kiss was deliberately devastating, passionately earnest, and erotically certain, lighting her on fire.

It was a heady thing, his kisses. The power he could wield over her with them was absolute, but she had nothing to fear. She could feel him tremble, could feel the same passionate response she had, could hear his echoing moans to hers. If he had power over her, she had the same reign over him.

They traded kiss for kiss, touch for touch, until he drew away. They both gasped, catching their breaths, leaning their foreheads against each other.

"Do.. do you think this will ever fade, Derek?" she asked, taking a shuddering breath.

He looked down at her with some curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"This passion. Do you think this will ever...become commonplace?" He was still giving her a confused look, so she continued, looking at his shirt, playing with the silver design on the black fabric. "You know, this heat we have. Will it become comfortable, normal, like old shoes?"

He chuckled, and then said very flatly and seriously, "Hell, no."

Now she looked confused. "How do you know?"

He reached down for her hands and tugged her over to the couch. He sat, and then pulled her onto his lap. She loved to sit there, to cuddle into his side, while they watched TV or even just talked.

"Baby, has anything between us ever been normal?" he asked.

She thought about it. "No, I guess."

He raised a brow at her. "You guess? Woman, we have been having phone sex for seven years. Rather explosive, rather hot phone sex. We finally get it right and do it instead of talking about it, and it remains explosive. Better than that; it's volcanic."

She nodded. "Yes, I see your point."

"But it's more than that," he said, looking serious again. "It's you, me, and how we've always needed each other a little bit more than we've needed anyone else. It's the intensity of our friendship, how we do everything when it comes to each other."

She leaned closer, kissing his cheek. "Yes, sweetheart."

He held her chin in his hand. "Woman, I've said it before, I'll say it again. You're my God given solace, my Baby Girl, my angel."

"Oh, Derek," she said, looping her arms around his neck, her eyes becoming misty with tears. He'd first said all of that long before they'd ever had sex. He was so right; this was something that was never going to die.

"You're the only thing I need, and the one thing I can't live without, Penelope." He kissed her softly, and then asked, "Can you take the heat? Deal with that pressure? Cause I need you to, so badly."

"Only if you can, too, Hot Stuff." She kissed him fleetingly. "Everything you said is doubly true for me. Add to that you're my hero, my lifesaver, my chocolate Adonis..."

She trailed off so she could lean her head back and concentrate on the kisses he was reigning on her neck.

"Pick out a ring tomorrow?" he asked against the smooth column of skin.

"Surprise me," she said, holding his head in her hands and capturing his lips.

* * *

"Oh, my," Emily said, nearly gasping. She was holding Penelope's hand still, staring at the massive diamond ring she was wearing. "That thing is _huge_!"

"Where'd you get the money for that?" Rossi asked, arching a brow at the grinning Derek. "You've been holding out on us."

"No," he answered. "I've been saving for a very long time for this particular girl to marry me."

Penelope blushed. It was an absolutely stunning ring, and what he said was right. He'd taken Reid with him when he went shopping for the ring, who commented that men who wished to be engaged put aside around one hundred dollars a month to buy an engagement ring in a years time. Derek contemplated that he'd had about six years he should've been doing the same thing... and bought her a 2.3 carat diamond solitaire ring in pink gold per his calculations.

Pen thanked Reid immediately.

"It's lovely, Garcia," Hotch said, giving her a quick hug.

"I'm surprised she can lift her hand," Rossi added dryly, walking in the conference room. His smile was warm when he added, "Congratulations."

They all sat back down around the round table in the room, smiles on their faces, as Hotch handed out the files to everyone. Derek reached under the table and held Penelope's hand in his lap, and they listened together to the details of the case.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

_AN: Thanks for the reviews, guys! I am back home; now it's time to get the ball rolling...__Warning: Some violence in this chapter. Reader discretion advised._

The now three month engaged Penelope Garcia was tapping away at her computer, nearly done with her work. It had been a very uneventful, mostly stress free day with little more to do than paperwork. To top it off, most of the profilers, including her favorite-that sexy fiance of hers-were at a seminar in DC most of the day.

"Just two more piles of paper, Garcie, and we're out of here," she encouraged herself out loud, as she shuffled through one document after another.

She picked up the top one and looked at it. It was Reid's teeny scratch. He wrote in the smallest letters, and typed in six point font, so he could get the maximum verbiage in the minimum, FBI allowed space. She'd have to talk to him, because it didn't download properly. He needed to type bigger, write larger, and explain less. End of story.

Next one was Rossi's reports. For a man who had written books and was a seasoned, gruff agent, he had beautiful penmanship and utilized his space perfectly. After she thought a moment more, it made absolute sense; he'd literally written the manual on how to write those reports!

She grabbed the next document and immediately recognized Derek's bold scrawl at the bottom. He had so many typing errors. It looked like he couldn't spell, and she knew he could. It was words where his fingers were too close together. She smirked at this sentence:

_The UNSUB had been apprehended whree he had originally held hostagse_

"Spell check, my love," she whispered to the form. "Don't forget to spell check..."

She was interrupted from her work by an unexpected light flashing in a quadrant of her personal switchboard. It was in Terry's neighborhood. She looked over quickly and typed in the area.

"Hmm...that's strange," she said, biting her bottom lip while she debated what was going on.

In the past three months there had been nothing but peace and harmony for the Johnstons. She and Derek had spent months, helping them get their security, working on remodeling their rooms, making their house a true home. Derek personally knew Lenny's parole officer from Chicago and kept in contact with him. Now, from what she could see on her screen, Lenny's bracelet frequency was showing up a mile from Terry's home. She typed in his frequency in the computer and pulled up parole checks. Lenny showed up as scheduled that morning in Chicago for his meeting with his officer, so she knew something had to be on the fritz.

"Oh, crud," she growled, tossing aside her green, fuzzy tipped pen.

She was planning on heading home early to make Derek something new for dinner, but that was now canceled. She couldn't be at home resting when she knew Terry's security system was on the blink. They just got that secure feeling again; she needed to help them keep it.

Sighing, she loaded her bag with the tricks of her trade, put some homework inside, and slid on her purple tiger striped heels.

"Come on, you tech goddess, you," she said, looking in her mirror to fix her hair quickly, and give herself a boost. She pointed her arm like she was flying towards the door. "Let's go defend the helpless and save the citizens of Metropolis."

* * *

Penelope stopped for a coffee at her favorite shop to keep her going, before heading to Terry's house. She lived in a smaller suburb in a rather quiet, but run down neighborhood. Being a single mother, just starting out in the area, she couldn't afford a house in the more posh suburbs, but now it was so fixed up and squeaky clean, it was a true gem, and Terri's neighbors were really nice.

Still, it was getting darker earlier and earlier this season. Penelope liked summer a lot more because it stayed lighter longer. She was a kind of paranoid person in the dark at night, and she was starting to be a little spooked.

Penelope parked Esther at the curb under a streetlight. She hit the door locks and shut the door.

"Now stay there," she warned the car, before heading up the sidewalk to Terry's front door.

She knocked her usual happy tune and sang along, "_Shave and a haircut, six bi..._ohhh."

The door swung open, so she couldn't complete the knock.

Cautiously, she called from the top step. "Terry?"

There was no answer.

Her heart started beating in her chest extra strong, and a chill ran down her back. She called again. "Terry?"

"I-in here!" Terry called out from somewhere in the house.

Pen let out a sigh of relief and picked up her bag, then walked into the house and shut the door.

She put her coat and bag down, and turned the corner. "Terry, you really need to close the...Oh, my God!"

A man she could only presume was Lenny had a gun pointed at her, and a knife at Terry's neck. Little drops of blood were already staining the blade and marring Terry's collar.

"I'm so sorry," Terry whimpered, tears rolling down her face. Her hand and arms were tied securely. "I'm so sorr-AH!"

Lenny's arm jerked. "_DID_ I say you could talk?"

"Please, don't hurt her," Penelope said, holding her hands out, reflexively walking towards Terry.

Lenny cocked the gun at her. "Take one step, bitch, and I will blow you away."

"Listen, we can work this out," Penelope tried again, thinking of all the hostage negotiation things she had learned and coming up empty. She wished to God Derek, Hotch, Rossi, anyone was here!

"Shut the fuck up and sit down!" he screeched.

She did as he bid, seeing no other choice. She thought about everything she'd learned, and how Derek would be mad at her that she didn't run. He'd taught her a lot about self-defense over the years.

"_Run, Baby Girl. Run like hell. If you are with someone, separate yourself. An UNSUB can't go after both of you at the same time."_

She'd just done the polar opposite of what he'd taught her. She cared about Terry; she couldn't run and leave a bound woman there. She couldn't.

Lenny pushed her down on her stomach and began to bind her feet and hands just like Terry. Then he kicked her over with his foot so she was looking up at him.

He was not what she had expected. Lenny was big and very handsome, close to Derek's gorgeous appeal. However, when Derek smiled, his eyes danced and she felt warm. Lenny smiled, and it was a cold thing, making her edgy, like a snake had slithered across her path.

He ran his blade down the side of her cheek. "Pretty...but not too pretty. Derek's standards must've dropped."

She didn't say a word.

"I take it you are Derek's girl?" he asked, that same cold smile causing a shiver down her spine.

Still, she stayed quiet.

"Oh, I know you are...Penelope."

Her eyes widened just a little.

"I know all about you," he said. "Thanks to my kids. They wrote to me about their _dear_ friend."

She swallowed back bile and tasted fear in her throat. Where were the kids?

Lenny stood. He must've been done questioning her. He sat down and opened her bag, withdrawing her cell phone and texted something quickly.

Reaching into his pocket, he lit a foul smelling cigarette that must've been laced with something. He took a deep inhale, then closed his eyes and very slowly exhaled.

"Now we wait for our third person to show up..."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

_AN: Thank you for the reviews, everyone, and Happy New Year, dear readers/reviewers!...Posting a little early because I am heading out and don't know when I will be able to post tomorrow...Warning: some violence, in case you are sensitive to that..._

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Derek was kicking underneath Reid's chair. Reid was directly in front of him in the seminar, paying rapt attention to the fiber analysis expert like a dweeb enthralled with a Star Trek actor, and Derek couldn't resist bugging him. It was juvenile and silly, but he put that aside for the moment. He was bored to death. Besides, he did this a lot at seminars; Reid probably would wonder where the kicking was if he didn't do it.

"One of these days, he's going to grow up bigger than you, and you'll be sorry," Rossi remarked out of the corner of his mouth, trying to hide a smile. He was slumped down in his chair, similar to Derek, and his foot was tapping underneath Prentiss's chair, too.

Derek snorted. "Maybe in the next lifetime, but not anytime soon. Besides, you should talk. Prentiss is more dangerous...She has better aim."

"Oh, I know," Rossi replied with a grin. "I live dangerously."

Chuckling, Derek answered, "That you do, my ma—"

His pocket vibrated, interrupting him.

"Hold up a sec," he said, digging the phone out. He flipped it up to read the incoming text and began to smile. It was from his Baby Girl.

_Derek. Meet me at Terry's house ASAP. Urgent. Penelope_

Immediately, Derek smile turned into a frown.

"Rossi..." he said, sitting up, his voice trailing off.

Dave scooted up in his chair, too. "What?"

"Does this sound like Garcia to you?" he asked, handing the phone over to Rossi.

Dave read it quickly, and then looked up at Derek suspiciously. "What do you think is going on?"

Derek's eyes narrowed, and he shut the phone immediately. "I have a bad feeling about this. Terry's ex husband was paroled last month..."

Last month, the kids had stated they wanted to see where real FBI agents worked.

"I know I promised you real agents," Derek had said with a smirk, "but the best I can do is Reid and Prentiss."

That had earned a mock scowl from the aforementioned agents.

After showing them around the rest of the BAU and introducing the Johnstons, Derek had given the lowdown to the rest of the team about Terry and her situation. They had been empathetic, and very helpful in finding and offering additional assistance to them.

"I think you need to call her first," Rossi said, skepticism in his voice. "Find out what this _urgency_ is about."

Together, they stood up and walked out of the lecture hall, into a side lounge area, where there was some privacy. Derek immediately dialed Penelope and put her on speakerphone.

Before the ringing was done, Reid and Prentiss had joined them in the lounge area. Derek was grateful for the support; he knew the team would be there, no matter what.

Worry turned into downright apprehension. Always prompt with electronics, it took her five rings to answer, and usually she answered in one.

"H-hello?" the voice of Penelope questioned, her voice sounding hoarse and uncertain.

Usually, she answered with a flirt and a tease. She knew it was him calling; he'd had his own ring for the past six years (Donna Summer's _Hot Stuff_, to his everlasting chagrin!). The tension he was feeling skyrocketed. He looked up at Dave before speaking.

"Hi, Penelope. How are you?"

He tried to keep his tone ordinary, nonchalant, as normal as possible. He also called her Penelope, which he rarely did, hoping she would catch the nuance like he had. They called each other pet names or nicknames ninety percent of the time, especially when not in the middle of a stressful case.

"F-f-fine. I'm at Terry's. Please come, Derek, as soon as you can."

"Okay, baby," he said. "I'll be there soon."

"Okay, Derek. Thank you."

After he shut the phone, he snapped into action, shrugging his coat on. "I was right. Something's terribly wrong."

Prentiss added, "I'll call Hotch. We'll call the authorities—"

"No, not yet," Derek said, already heading towards the door. "I don't want to tip him off or force him to act."

"Morgan, you can't go in by yourself," Reid stated.

"The hell I can't!" he snapped, his jaw ticking in anger. "He wants me; he'll get me."

He burst through the door, heading to his SUV, and then took off in a cloud of dust.

Rossi shook his head, following quickly. "Not without us nearby."

* * *

Penelope sat next to Terry on the floor, trying to comfort her. The smaller woman was terrified; her teeth were chattering audibly, and she would let out a muffled shriek every once in a while. She was obviously in shock; she could barely speak, and she was pale as paper.

Lenny sat, looking out the window, chain smoking his homemade cigarettes. The disgusting smell was causing Penelope's stomach to churn, and she was becoming light headed. After he'd held the knife to her throat and forced her to talk on the phone, he'd paid very little attention to the both of them. He was fixated on the window, his bloodshot eyes narrowed and piercing, waiting for Derek to arrive.

"Terry!" she snapped under her breath. "Terry, please. Where are the kids?"

"F-f-f-friends."

"Are they coming home?" Pen pressed. She needed to know, to maybe warn Derek there were more hostages.

Terry shook her head, and then crawled into a tighter ball.

Pen sighed and held back tears. She was glad the children wouldn't come home and see their insane, volatile father. She wanted to keep them safe.

On the other hand, she was worried to death about Derek. She couldn't keep him safe, couldn't keep him away. She couldn't help, either, and Terry was incapacitated by fear. She only hoped he could tell by her voice and her words that something was wrong. From his words and his tone, she thought he'd known, but she couldn't be certain until he came in.

She hoped she could break free, loosen her bonds, so that when Derek did arrive, she could run. She would do exactly what he'd told her to do all those years ago. Wiggling her fingers, pointing her toes, she tried, but nothing was working. If only the bonds weren't so tight!

"Where the fuck is he?" Lenny yelled suddenly, clamoring to his feet in a drug induced stupor. He lunged at Penelope, grabbed a fistful of hair, and forced her to her knees, before releasing her. "Did you say something to keep him away? Did you, bitch?"

He slapped her so hard across the face, she literally saw stars. She'd always thought that was a figment of the imagination of those who drew cartoon characters, but now she knew that it happened in real life.

She wished she'd never found out.

She looked up to see the deadly furious look in Lenny's eyes, and her heart sank to her bloodless feet.

"Answer me!" he raged, raising his hand with the knife, ready to belt her again.

"I didn't!" she cried, cowering. She knew now when he hit her, he used the handle of the knife for a more solid punch. He could cut her, and she didn't want that to happen. She'd be useless, unable to help Derek.

He started to laugh, a nasty, mirthless sound, and grabbed her hair again, bringing her to her feet. "I don't believe you..."

She stumbled, the tugging of her hair making her head ache.

"Slut! Morgan's fucking whore...with a whore's trinket." He was looking at her hand, at the large, beautiful ring on it. "That's all it was to Terry..."

Penelope watched as his face grew sad, shuttered.

A moment later, his mood shifted; he began to grin as he placed the knife on the knuckle above the ring. "Tell me the truth, or I'll take your ring off the easy way."

"Please," she begged, starting to cry. "I swear, I said nothing to him. I swear to Go—"

"Shut up!" he yelled, slamming her against the wall, knocking the wind out of her, his hand squeezing her throat. "You speak when I ask you to speak!"

She gasped for air, her eyes wild and frightened. The world was becoming black, and her knees were getting weak.

The next moment, he had her in front of him, in his arms, and she could feel the cold blade of the knife held at her throat.

When she opened her eyes, she could have sworn she'd never seen such a beautiful sight before in her life.

Derek was pointing his Glock 19 directly at Lenny, his face a study in barely suppressed rage.

"Let her go, you motherfucker, or I will shoot you where you stand."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

_AN: As always, thank you for the reviews...Hope your 2011 is everything you hope for, and more..._

Emotions were running through Penelope—a virtual kaleidoscope of feeling. She was relieved that Derek was there, worried that Derek was there, upset that Derek was there, angry that Derek was there. Every single emotion ran to the forefront, flooding over her in hot and cold flashes. She was exhausted from the ordeal, limp from having been beaten.

She stared at him, at his beautiful, enraged face, the dark brown eyes that never wavered off of Lenny's, the solid control in his stance and the deadly menace in his eyes, and a strange calm started to sweep over her. There was something so strong, so unwavering in his determination to see this through, she couldn't help but feel some relief.

Watching him, she knew two things: First, Derek was ready to take down an UNSUB. He would do whatever to took to take him down, and he would get his man; Second, that man loved her with all his heart, and he would rather die than see harm come to her. It filled her with hope and made her assure herself that she needed to fight like heck for him, too.

Feeling re-energized and ready to stand her ground again, Penelope conserved her breath and waited for all hell to break loose.

* * *

Derek was ready to kill a man.

The moment he laid eyes on Penelope, on her lovely, tear streaked, stress blotched face, he'd never been so furious—and so frightened—in his life.

"You do, and I will take her fucking head off!" Lenny snapped back, his expression growing wild and unsteady.

Derek tried hard to keep his calm, to take the emotion out of the situation. He could help Penelope so much more if he could take his emotions and put them aside. That was nearly impossible; that bastard held his very heart and soul under his knife.

He had to do this. He had to approach him with calm, with humanity.

"Lenny," he began, raising his hand slightly.

"Don't move!" To show Derek he meant business, Lenny pressed the knife closer to P's throat, causing her to flinch and gasp in pain.

"You spill one drop of her blood, harm one hair on her head," Derek growled menacingly, "and I will tear you apart piece by piece. Mark my words."

Lenny laughed, but it lacked all humor. It was ugly, bleak, and nasty, like the light in Lenny's eyes. "Go ahead. I think it would be worth it, my friend."

Derek narrowed his eyes and kept his gun aimed at Lenny's forehead. "Worth what?"

"Worth it just to see you suffer like I suffered for years, you bastard!"

"All of your suffering was your own fault," Derek said, his voice controlled and flat.

"What!" Lenny asked, sounding immediately outraged. "Bull-fucking-shit, you sonofabitch!" He held the knife steady against Penelope's throat. "You...you...! All the pain I have _ever_ had has been because of you!"

Derek didn't say a word, just continued to aim his gun directly at Lenny's head. He was waiting... waiting for this high piece of shit to screw up, waiting for his perfect shot.

Lenny's voice changed, like he was hinging on a sob, ready to break down. "You took my wife from me, my kids..."

The knife began to shake, scraping against Penelope's throat, causing her to wince again.

Derek wanted to throttle Lenny, beat him senseless for causing her pain. Instead, he kept his voice controlled. "You did that yourself, Lenny—"

"You left me with Buford!" he snarled, those wild eyes glaring at him. "Abandoned me!"

Derek shook his head. "I was strong. I moved on. I needed to do that myself. You could've been strong, too."

Lenny gaped at him, like he was completely astounded at what Derek had just said. He was shaking his head slightly, making a tsking sound.

"Derek Morgan." He gave that mirthless chuckle of his. "So high and mighty, Mr. F-B-I. Better than _everyone_ else, but everyone's friend, too."

"Not _everyone's_ friend," Derek said, not missing a beat. "Not yours. Not anymore."

He narrowed his eyes, glaring icily at Derek. "Maybe I should knock your ass down a few pegs, hmmm, brother?"

Derek heard the clicking of a gun, one that he hadn't noticed before now. Lenny had held it concealed behind Penelope. He saw him pressing the gun against the side of Penelope's abdomen.

"Your fiancee, eh?" Lenny asked, a smile similar to a snarl on his face.

Derek tried to hold back the panic he felt, and feared that he couldn't.

"Is she pregnant yet? I hope she's pregnant," Lenny hissed. "I want to take your wife, your kid, your future, like you did from me!"

"NO!"

It all happened in less than a minute...

That sound came from Terry as she roared from the floor, launching her diminutive and still bound form behind her ex-husband's knees, knocking him off balance. He jerked his arms away from Penelope in an attempt to keep balanced.

In survival self-instinct, Penelope sunk her teeth into his forearm as hard as she could, causing him to drop the gun, and then twisted herself free under his arm.

He screamed as he fell, landing on his own knife, the blade digging deep into his ribcage. He sputtered and shook, before finally stilling.

A moment later, all four other members of the BAU, along with a swat team, entered the small house.

Derek ran over to Penelope, wrapping her in his arms, coating her with kisses. "Baby Girl...my God...Baby..."

"I'm fine," she said softly, trying to smile, noticing he was paler than she was at the moment. "Just help me get these ropes off, and I'll be okay."

"Don't do that to me ever again, woman," he said sternly, working the ropes. She could tell he was only partially teasing.

"I don't plan on it," she said with a sardonic grin. "I'll save the lifesaving stuff to highly trained professionals!"

He smiled back, gently brushing the hair from her face. "You are one incredible woman."

She nodded, actually feeling quite incredible at that moment.

"The paramedics are here," Reid said, walking over. He smiled at Garcia. "They'd...um...like to take you to the hospital to check you out."

"What about Terry?" she asked, thinking about the other woman for the first time since she'd been held by Derek.

"She's on route to the hospital," Reid explained.

She smiled gently, grateful to the other woman for her bravery when it really counted. "That's good. I'm glad."

"Baby, let's go, get you checked out," Derek said, rubbing her back softly, continuously touching her.

"Okay." She attempted to stand, but failed. She was too wobbly kneed and weak from being bound.

"I got you, baby," Derek replied. He stood, and then scooped her up in his arms. "Up we go."

"I love you," she said, laying her head against his shoulder, sighing in relief for the first time that evening.

Being in his arms, she knew everything was going to be okay.

Derek kissed her forehead, caressing her face with delicate, gentle touches. "I love you, too, sweetheart."

He laid her on the gurney, the paramedics loaded her into the ambulance, and Derek climbed in behind them, holding her hand as they sped away.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

_AN: Thanks for the reviews everyone! Next chapter coming up. I can't believe I have just two left after this! It's been a fun ride...Posting today, because I plan on sleeping in a wee bit tomorrow morning, and I won't have time to post!_

He was driving her crazy.

It had been three weeks since Lenny had held her hostage, three weeks since she'd been scared for her life and for Derek's, and three weeks since Lenny had died.

However...

It had also been three weeks since they realized Lenny was right about one thing. She'd found out at the hospital she was pregnant with Derek Morgan, Junior (or Penelope Morgan, Junior. She wasn't partial!). Both baby and mommy were fine, thriving and happy. Terry and family had been healing and starting to thrive; the BAU team was back to normal and happy.

But something was wrong with Derek.

True, looking at him, seeing him at work, no one would ever know that there was something bothering her Hot Stuff. He was deliciously normal, gorgeously healthy, and tremendously proud of their bun in the oven. He'd handed out granola bar cigars to everyone at the BAU.

Rossi had immediately complained that he wanted a real stogie when the blessed event occurred.

Prentiss wanted a chocolate one, and so did Reid. They both had pouted at him for trying to spread his health fanatic thoughts to them.

"Do I _look_ like I need to lose weight?" Reid had even griped.

The day by day things were the same. Derek was still loving, still showing all the affection he had for her in his regular, mundane activities. He touched her like she was made of glass, fragile and delicate. He held her with adoring worship...

...but he hadn't made love to her.

Now, Penelope tried very hard not to think about this. It wasn't that big of a deal, but deep down, it really bothered her. Their relationship was a hot one, based on sex—a lot of sex—as an expression of their love. She wondered what the hell was going on.

At first, she'd thought that maybe Derek was one of those guys that took one look at a pregnant woman and said, _Oh, hell, no_. Just completely turned off by the thought of pregnancy.

Hey, if it could happen to Elvis, it could happen to any man...

Then one morning, two and a half weeks ago, she'd come out of the shower, wet and naked like she always did, and blew that foolish thought out of the water.

Her fiance had been strapping on his ankle holster, sitting on the edge of their bed, when he looked up at her. Immediately, his eyes had filled with such heat, it made her tremble.

Shortly after, he'd quickly donned his pants and kissed her, heading out to the kitchen for breakfast.

She'd made romantic dinners, and he'd treated her so sweetly, like she was a delicate rose, a sweet flower. He showed her so much love, so much compassion, it was wonderful.

But he didn't touch her afterward, even when she made bold movements towards him.

She thought afterward that he was just stressed out and tired. They'd done some long nights on a case, and that could've been his issue.

Then he held her at night, his erection poking her in her behind, the small of her back, her belly...and he woke with morning wood that made her drool, it was so pronounced.

He'd simply excuse himself to the shower, like everything was normal.

This morning, this Saturday morning...he wasn't getting out-she wasn't _letting_ him out-of their bed, and she was getting what she needed.

* * *

Derek slowly woke and yawned, stretching his arms above his head.

And heard an immediate clink of metal.

Come to think of it, he felt something foreign, like leather around his wrists.

He opened his eyes and saw his beautiful Baby Girl kneeling on the bed, her bottom resting on her heels. She was wearing one of her most angelic looking nighties. It was white, see through, with a satin ribbon underneath her overflowing breasts and lace trimming accenting those bountiful curves.

Derek groaned as his poor neglected dick throbbed in his cotton sleep pants. Good God, the woman had it going on. He was going to have to start sleeping in the basement, because this morning proved a trip to the shower was not going to help him.

"Baby..."

She smiled sweetly at him. "Hi, Hot Stuff."

"What are these?" he asked, tugging at his bound wrists.

"_Accessory to Pleasure_," she said, and then added unnecessarily, "You remember...the chapter after _Backdoor Boogaloo_."

"Honey, I know that," he snapped, irritated.

"Oh, good," she said, still giving him a Southern belle simple smile.

Maybe because he was horny as hell, maybe because he was aching with want for her and he couldn't do anything about it, maybe because it was a Saturday morning and he planned to work out and get rid of this agitation, but her little smirk irritated him even more.

He tugged a little more at his bonds in frustration. "Baby. What is going on?"

"I don't know, D," she said, leaning forward so that her face was near his. "I was thinking I should be the one asking you that."

He frowned, catching on to her thoughts. This didn't seem...this wasn't...

"Do you want me?" she asked, her eyes dark amber, her lips perfectly pink and delicious, matching the shadow of her nipples in that see through outfit she was wearing.

He couldn't fight this. He needed to protect her. He was doing this for them...for all of them.

"This is ridiculous. Let me up," he snarled, glaring at her.

She sat back on her heels again, the heat in her eyes dampening out and being replaced with moisture. She looked so hurt, so upset.

He cursed himself and changed the tone of his voice. "Baby..."

"Are you cheating on me?"

"_What_?" he asked incredulously. Was she _crazy_?

"You heard me," she whispered, her eyes narrowed but her chin quivering. "Is there another woman?"

"No! Of course not!" he snapped again. "How could you even—"

"Then why haven't you touched me?" she interrupted, obviously still hurt, still angry.

His heart seized in his chest. "Penelope..."

She was looking down at her folded hands. "You used to make love to me daily. Sometimes twice a day or more, showing me how much you loved me. Now..." She paused and looked up at him. "Do I repulse you?"

"Oh, my God, no," he said swiftly, as if denying it faster could erase those words from her mind. "Baby, I still want you. Every damned day. Every _minute_ of every day."

"Then why, D?" she asked.

The clock ticking in the room sounded deafening loud to his ears. He had a hard time answering what he was feeling in his heart. He loved her, loved her with everything he had in his body and soul. He also cherished her, knew how delicate she was, how fragile the babe inside her was...and how quickly they both could have been taken away. He'd seen that in an instant.

He couldn't risk the baby, couldn't put _her_ at risk. He knew some women miscarried, some had problems with their pregnancies, and he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize their health.

He'd never loved _anything_ like he loved both of them.

"Answer me, Derek Morgan," she said, frowning at him.

"After what happened...after..." He couldn't finish. He simply looked up at her, taking a deep breath. "I can't lose you."

Her frown disappeared, only to be replaced by a soft smile of understanding. "You're not going to lose me, angel fish."

"You and the baby mean _everything_ to me," he whispered fiercely. "I can't. I _won't_."

"Derek, sex isn't going to hurt me," she said, shaking her head. "The doctor said everything is fine, and—"

"It could," he interrupted, frowning. "I read up on dangers to early pregnancy and pregnant woman. After what happened...after-" he swallowed hard, obviously still haunted. He shook his head, and continued, "I'm not taking that risk. Not until you are much farther along, and even then, we'll...hey!"

Penelope straddled her fiancee's chest. "That's too bad you're not willing to take that risk, Hot Stuff. Life is all about taking measured risks, taking chances, loving and living, and being grateful for it. I'm not fragile, and neither is Junior."

"P..." he warned, but his voice lacked conviction.

"If you don't live your life the way you've been living it, you let Lenny win," she answered, looking him square in the eyes. "I'm not about to let that SOB take one more minute of my happiness."

He watched as she tugged the little white nightie over her head, freeing her swollen breasts. He gasped before groaning, as she leaned forward, touching her nipples to his bare chest, and then whispered by his ear:

"So, mister: You may not be willing to take a chance...but aren't you glad I am?"


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

_AN: Thanks everyone for reviewing. Went to bed and ended up not being able to sleep, so I am posting now...Just a warning: I was in quite the mood when I wrote this one...This is _Undercover Club _strong sexuality...proceed with caution...This is dedicated to Faith4000, who always said I needed to write a scene like this..._

Garcia watched her handsome lover, watched as he lay there, tied to their bed, his expression curious and a bit apprehensive. A few months ago, she would've had no idea what to do, which sounded silly to even think—who wouldn't know what to do with a captive chocolate god? She probably would've released him, let him have his dominant way with her, and been just as satisfied...

Oh, what a difference a few months made!

This morning, she was in charge. She was the aggressor in their love play. She knew him inside and out, knew his quirks and his delights. In short, she knew _exactly_ what turned Derek Morgan on.

"Penelope," he admonished sternly, as he watched her crawl towards him like a kitty stalking her prey, "let me go."

He wiggled the chain of the restraints for emphasis.

"Do you really want that?"

She saw the indecision in his eyes, and knew she was winning.

Softly, sexily, she purred, "I'll let you go if you ask me to...if you say no...but I'd hope you'd reconsider."

He frowned. "Why?"

She grinned wickedly. "Because what fun would that be?"

they made love.

"I love you...and I _missed_ this," she said softly, taking a deep breath. "I missed _you, _Derek."

"I missed you, too," he answered honestly, running his hands down her back, cupping her bottom, and then patting it gently.

He was surprised to feel wetness against his chest. He brought his hands to her face. "Sweetheart? Why are you crying?"

"Don't take yourself away from me. This...doing this...is so much more than just sex between us." She sniffled, and then looked up at him. "Don't you know that?"

His heart stopped as he thought about that, the raw truth in it. He was an idiot. How could he have forgotten about how important this was? In his panic and the worry he'd had, he'd lost basic truths in his relationship. In his effort to keep her safe, he'd hurt her anyway.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," he said, kissing the inside of her wrist fervently. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

He grinned at her. "And I missed this, too."

"Good!" she said with a grin. "I was starting to worry about you!"

He laughed, and then rolled her underneath him as, unbelievably, the stirrings of desire hit him again.

"Is this more like me?" he teased, squeezing her.

Her eyes widened, and then she smiled. "Oh, hell, yes..."

**For More of this chapter, please see my profile!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29-The Epilogue**

_AN: It's been a wild ride, lots of steam and heat-and a scary moment, too! I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it. Thanks for all the reviews and the show of support...It is unbelievably humbling that I am at nearly six hundred reviews with this story-you guys are amazing...Next adventure coming sooner than later, I am sure...Love, Kricket_

"Okay, move it left, Hot Stuff."

He grunted, a touch of sweat on his forehead from effort, and gave her a look. "Baby, I am trying."

She smiled, patiently...until he began to move right.

"Derek, _my_ left, not yours!"

"Woman, would you just let me-"

She sighed dramatically, interrupting him. "The book makes it look much easier."

He didn't say a word, only glared at her from his position underneath her.

"Well, look," she said with faux innocence, reaching for said book. "It even has pictures."

"That's it." Derek proceeded to toss his Allen wrench and screwdriver to the side to reach for his jumpy, very pregnant wife's ankles.

The nursery was almost completely done, except for the crib they'd purchased and the mobile Penelope had made. The room was a sunny light yellow with white wainscoting on the bottom. On the wall were classic pictures from Beatrix Potter books. Penelope had loved those books growing up, and Derek loved that Penelope loved them, so it was a good choice to him. In the corner of the room was a rocking chair made of oak that Derek's mother had used to rock him to sleep. On the back of that chair rested a crocheted afghan in light, soft baby colors. It was Penelope's blanket that her mother had made for her.

Derek was quite proud of the work they'd done, but he was frustrated as hell with this stupid crib. He'd rather make it from scratch than follow that mumble jumble to put it together.

"Everyone knows cribs are not easy to assemble," he huffed.

"Says who?" she asked, hands on her hips, looking down at him.

"Says every man who has ever attempted to assemble a some assembly required item," he added, moving to a seated position.

By the time he was done sitting up, he was slightly less grumpy. Probably because he was caressing his wife's calves.

"Oh, phooey," she continued. "If you read the instruction manual, like normal people..."

"Instruction manuals are for the weak," he explained. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I always read them," she countered. "Reid does, too."

"See?" he added with a grin, working his hands behind her knees. "I rest my case."

She rolled her eyes. "Seems to me that proved that instruction manuals are for the intelligent..."

The way she stopped, drawing out her comment, he knew the zinger was coming. He stopped moving his hands.

"So, what does that make_ you_?" she teased wickedly, then squealed as she turned and attempted to run away.

He easily caught her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. Being nine months pregnant had slowed her down quite a bit!

"You are such a little shit," he murmured, kissing the side of her neck.

"But I'm your shit," she replied, leaning her neck to the side.

He kept his kisses going on her neck. "And I don't hate _all_ instruction manuals, sugar."

A shiver rode down her spine, thinking about the book that he meant. That one was their favorite _nighttime reading _by far! Of course, that might change with Junior on the way...

She laughed at that thought. He was right, what he'd said earlier to her. It didn't fade, this passion they had together. She had a feeling it would last forever.

With that thought, she turned in his arms and asked him with an arched brow, "We're on position eighty-four, right?"

He gave her a quick kiss before picking her up. "Let's go make it to eighty-five..."


End file.
